The Mummy
by magiie
Summary: All Ellen O'Connell wanted to do was get her idiot brother, Rick, out of jail. And when she did, it landed her on a trip deep into Egypt to search for a treasure. Only, they unleashed a monster. O.C.xArdeth Bay. Second Version.
1. Chapter 1

It never failed. Not after the war and what he saw when he was with the French Foreign Legion. He was always winding up in trouble. No matter where he went. And I was tasked with fallowing him, and saving his ass every time. Only this time, it was different. Much different.

I didn't particularly enjoy going into and Egyptian jail. But with what I had been told on my brothers situation, it needed to be done. Rick O'Connell wasn't going to die on my watch. No god damned way.

The guard that lead me to the cell where I would finally come face to face with my brother gave me an odd look as I asked him about that prisoner. I didn't know until moments later what that look was about. He had wondered why, a girl like me, all five foot five with long blonde locks and deep blue eyes, would ever want to come see someone about to be hanged.

As he pointed me in the direction, I realized quite quickly that I wasn't the only person who was interested in my brothers affairs.

"You lied to me." I heard the woman say, a radiant beauty with long dark hair called, as she looked to the man who stood beside her. She didn't look pleased with him, which brought a smile to my face. So I wasn't the only woman in the world who felt that men were idiots.

"I lie to everybody; what makes you so special?" The man replied, grinning.

"I am your sister!" The woman said back. Ah, so I wasn't the only woman in the world who had an idiot brother either.

"Yes, well, that just makes you more gullible."

"Excuse me!" I called, rushing over to them.

"Ah. Miss O'Connell I take it?" A rather disgusting and fat man asked, smiling at me. "I was informed that you had arrived yesterday."

"Ah yes. I was hoping to speak to you about my brother." I smiled at him politly. It was the only thing I felt I could do as he looked me up and down like I was a piece of property.

"Pardon me?" The woman called, after arguing with her brother about steeling something from 'a local drunker at a bar.' Whom I deduced was my dear brother. "What exactly is this man in prison for?"

"Yes please, enlighten me. What did he do this time?" I asked, sighing.

"This I do not know. But when I heard you were coming I asked him that myself."

"And what did he say?" The woman and I both asked, before we shared a glance.

"He said he was 'just looking for a good time.'" The man smiled.

"Course." I sighed.

"Excuse me." The man, the woman's brother called, looking to me. "Would you happen to be this man's wife?"

"Hardly." I laughed. "I'm his sister." I smiled then, holding out my hand. "Ellen O'Connell."

"Pleasure...under the circumstances. Jonathan Carnahan." He smiled, taking my hand and shacking it. "And this is my sister Evelyn."

"Hi." I waved to her, but she didn't seem to notice. Just then, the guards opened the doors and there he was. My brother in all his dirty glory, being slumped onto the ground harshly.

"This...this is the man you stole it from?"

"Yes, exactly, so why don't you go-" He began, just as Rick spoke.

"Who are you?" He asked, looking up slightly and glancing at Evelyn and Johnath. And then slowly, his eyes trailed farther to the left and landed on me. "Ellen..." He sighed.

"Rick." I smiled. "Hot water again?"

"Boiling." He gave me a grin. At least he hadn't lost his sense of humor. "How'd you find me? Matter of fact, what the hell are you doing back in Egypt? Aren't you supposed to be on your way to France with that... what's his name again?"

"Travis, Rick. His name is Travis." I sighed angrily, seeing the smirk appear across my brothers face. "Just...leave it alone. Please." I whispered, not wanting to bring bad memories. And even worse feelings.

"Whatever you say sis. So, who's the broad?" He asked, turning and looking to Evy.

"Richard!" I snapped.

"Broad?" The woman echoed looking utterly shocked. Jonathan quickly explained something to him that I didn't catch as I slowly moved closer. "But this is my sister," He added, pulling her forward, "Evy."

"How do you do?" Evy asked him politely, smiling as she did.

"Ah well. Guess she's not such a loss." Rick comment, glancing over at me.

"Rick!" I cried out, shocked. Suddenly, the small fat man, who I suddenly realized was the warden shouted something in a language that I didn't understand before telling us he'd 'be right back'. "Honestly..." I sighed, coming closer to the bars that held him belong my reach. "What did you do that got you..."

"Ask him about the box." Jonathan whispered to Evy quite suddenly, catching me off guard and pulling my focus away from my brother.

"Right. Um...we, uh, found...Hello, excuse me?" Rick turned away from me and looked to her, looking less them interested, "We both found your...your puzzle box, and we've come to ask you about it." She explained. He tilted his head towards me and I mouthed the words 'puzzle box?'. He simply shook his head and looked back to Evy.

"No," Rick instantly answered.

"No?" She echoed.

"No. You came to ask me about Hamunaptra." Once again, he turned and glanced at me and I mouthed 'Hamunaptra?' and he simply shook his head.

"How do you know that the box pertains to Hamunaptra?" She asked curiously, whispering as she spoke, her eyes suddenly large with excitement.

"Because that's where I was when I found it. I was there." I hadn't the slightest idea where the hell Hamunaptra was, but I got the sickening feeling that he had been there not too long ago...during the war.

"How do we know that's not a whole load of pig-swallow?" Jonathan asked, leaning into the bars, getting close to Rick.

"Hey, do I know you?" Rick asked, looking at him seriously, examining his features.

Jonathan suddenly looked nervous. "What? No...no no. I've just got one of those faces-" In that instant, Rick's fist flew through the bars and collided with Johnathan's face.

I gasped in shock. "Rick!" I cried out, as the guards stepped forwards and laid a beating on him. "Oh god, are you okay? Jonathan? Hello? Can you hear me?" I called, as I bent down and tended to Jonathan, while Evy simply stepped over him and moved even closer to the bars.

"You were actually at...Hamunaptra?" She asked, and i looked up at her to see the excitement just building behind her eyes.

"Yeah, I was there," Rick answered with a cocky smile.

"You swear?" Evy asked, her voice stern.

"Every damn day."

"He's not lying." I noted sadly, still looking over Jonathan.

Evy looked up at me, snickering lightly, before looking back to Rick. "No, I don't mean that."

"Oh yeah, I know what you mean. I was there. Pharaoh Seti's place. 'City of the Dead'."

"Could you...could you tell me how to get there?" She begged. The warden, who was slowly returning to our position, shouted something in the distance, and Evy lowered her hat when Rick looked at what was going on, trying to grab his attention. "I mean, the exact location?"

"You wanna know?"

"Well...well yes."

"Do you really wanna know?" Rick asked, as she stepped closer.

"Yes."

I saw it coming from a mile away and new that this girl, this Evy was headed for trouble. "Rick don't you..."

He beckoned her closer, then reached out through the bars and grabbed her chine, before kissing her right on the lips. "Then get me the hell outta here." As the guards appeared, hauling him away, he glanced at me giving me one last Rick O'Connell smirk, then looked back to Evy who was utterly shocked. "Do it, lady!" He yelled, as the guards pulled him trough the door and slammed it shut.

"Rick! Rick!" I cried out, rushing to the bars as he was dragged away. "Where are they taking him?" I demanded as I shot up, facing the warden as he appeared, looking pleased with himself.

"To be hanged." He smiled.

My eye went wide as my stomach turned. "What?" I cried out, my heart suddenly racing a million miles a minute. He simply shrugged. "But he...how could you...No!" I cried out, tears stinging my eyes.

"Apparently, he had a very good time." The warden said to Evy, giving her a grin.

It took all my might to remain slightly lady like and not punch the smug bastard in the face.

V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~

"I think I'm going to be sick..." I mumbled, as we sat down high above the floor below, looking down at the hang man's noose where my brother was about to be killed. I had never felt so utterly destroyed inside. "I can't watch this...I can't just sit here and..."

"I will give you 100 pounds for this man's life!" Evy said suddenly, catching me so off guard that I turned towards her so rapidly I might have pulled a muscle in my neck.

"What?" I gasped, a little ray of hope suddenly rising inside of me.

"Madame, I would pay one hundred pounds just to see him hanged," Replied the stupid little fat man. I quickly leaned towards him, giving him and evil glance that he paid no mind to. He was to busy and clearly interested in seeing Rick get hanged. That dirty little bastard...

"Two! Two hundred pounds!" Evy cried out then.

"And I'll add another hundred!" I added, fueling the fire that might very well save my dear brothers life. Evy quickly glanced at me with a smile.

"Proceed!" The warden called, showing no interest in our transactions.

"Four hundred pounds!" Evy yelled out then. But I hardly paid attention as I watched the hangman tie the noose around my brothers throat.

"Oh God..." I moaned, tears coming to my eyes. Quite suddenly, the hangman called up to the warden, something in that language that I didn't understand.

The warden quickly answered in the same language before continuing in English, "Of course we don not let him go!"

"Five hundred pounds!"

I turned once again and looked to Evy, utterly amazed that this woman, this random woman would willingly pay that much to spare my brother's life. A man whom she didn't know.

The warden then once again said something in that language to the hangman, and everything stopped. Another ray of hope hit my heart as I looked down to my brother. "And what else?" The warden asked, as I turned my attention back to him, watching as he placed his hand onto Evy's leg. "I am a very lonely man." He said softly. A look of disgust passed over Evy's face before she slapped his hand away with her wallet, the inmates all laughing at this, which...pulled out anger in the warden as he cried out in that language once again. Only this time, I knew exactly what he had said...Drop him.

"RICK!" I screamed out, jumping to my feet, as tears streamed down my cheeks, watching as my big brother fell though the small hole and started dangling.

"NO!" Evy screamed, standing up too.

"Haha! His neck did not break!" He called happily before turning to me. "Oh I'm so sorry. Now we must watch him strangle to death."

I rose up at once and faced him, rage pulsing through me. "You filthy son of a bitch if you don't...!"

"He knows the location to Hamunaptra." Evy blurted out, and the warden turned away from me and looked at her fast.  
"You lie."

"I would never!" She cried out.

"Are you telling me this filthy, godless, son of a pig knows where to find the City of the Dead?"

"That's my brother you're talking about you stupid little..."

"Yes!" Evy interjected, and I soon realized I wasn't helping her cause.

"Truly?"

"Yes!" Evy and I screamed together this time, as the warden looked at her, then me, then back to her.

"And if you cut him down, we will give you," She paused a moment and looked to Rick who was still struggling. "Ten percent."

"Fifty percent!" The warden argued.

"Twenty!" Evy fired back.

"Forty."

"Thirty." Evy said.

"Twenty-five."

"Ah!" She cried out, pointing at him smiling. "Deal!"

The warden groaned angrily, before turning to the hangman. "Cut him down!"

A wave of happiness flooded through me as I watched Rick tumble to the floor, alive and, for the most part, very well. All thanks to Evelyn Carnahan.

"Thank god." I mumbled, falling back down to my seat and closing my eyes as Evelyn stood up and looked down at him, smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

"Honestly Ellen, I'm fine." Rick said angrily, as I held onto his arm, continually asking him if he was okay. 

"Are you sure because..." 

"Ellen..." He warned, his tone dark. 

"Okay, okay." I sighed, pulling away. "Sorry. It's just that..." I paused momentarily and looked up at him. "Really thought I was gunna lose you there..." 

"Can't lose me kid." He grinned, reaching down and ruffling up my hair as he grinned. He looked like a whole new man. He had gotten his hair cut, a new set of cloths. The only remnants of his stint in jail were the light red rope burns on his neck. 

"I sure hope not." I smiled, reaching up and running my fingers through my blonde hair to fix the mess he had made of it as we neared out destination. 

"So, mind telling me what happened with..." Rick paused for a moment and looked down at me, a look of confusion on his face. 

"Travis." I sighed, rolling my eyes. 

"Yeah, him. What happened?" 

I sighed softly, trying to think of a good reason to give my big brother. "Well...we just weren't good for one another. He wanted to settle down, have a family and I..." 

"Always wanted that since you were five." Rick noted, looking down at me. "What happened?" He asked sternly, stopping for a moment and taking my hands in his. "Did he hurt you?" He asked sternly, looking down at me with worry in his eyes. 

"What? No! God no! It was just...he just..." I stopped, sighing heavily. "We were getting ready to leave on a ship from Alexandria to Athens. We were gunna go up through Greece and through Europe till we were in France. But...in Alexandria...Travis disappeared for a night. I couldn't find him anywhere, and we were supposed to leave the next day. So...I made my way to the ship the next morning with all our things hoping to find him and...well I did. But...he wasn't alone." A look of rage passed over Rick's face. "He met some belly dancer girl and decided that he had fallen in love with her and he was going to take her with him and leave me behind. So...he did." 

"That son of a..." 

"Look," I snapped, pressing my hand up on his chest, stopping him. "It doesn't matter. I made my way back down here to find you cause I didn't have all that much money and now here we are. So that's that." Smiling, I patted his chest and turned, heading towards the boat. "So come on. We've got a boat for you to catch and..." 

"Ellen O'Connell you can't lie to me." Rick called, making me stop dead in my tracks. "Are you okay?" He asked, walking up to me, placing a caring hand on my shoulder. 

"What do you think?" I sighed, suddenly feeling angry, upset, and worst of all...heartbroken. 

"I think you look horrible, your tired and..." Pausing, Rick looked around, a look of thought passing over his face. "You're coming with me." 

"Wha...what?" 

"Yup! You're coming!" He grinned, reaching over and taking me hand, pulling me along to the boat. 

"Oh no, no, no!" I cried out, trying to pull away. "The last time I went on an adventure with you I nearly lost my hands!" 

"That was not my fault." Rick pointed out, glancing back at me for a minute. "Come on Ellen! It'll be fun! And I promise you wont lose any limbs this time." 

"What about cloths? I don't have anything packed!" 

"I'm sure Evelyn can share till we find some for you." as we reached the boat, where Jonathan and Evy were standing. 

"Oh god...I'm gunna end up acting like you again! Punching people...and shooting things and...swearing!" I groaned angrily. 

"Good. You're more fun like that." Rick grinned, as we reached the boat, where Jonathan and Evy were standing. 

"Well, personally, I think he's filthy, rude, a complete scoundrel." We heard Evy say as we got closer, "I don't like him one bit." 

"Anyone I know?" Rick asked, coming up to them and catching Evy off guard as she looked up at him, a little shocked at his appearance. 

"Ah, here to see your brother of safely are you?" Jonathan asked, coming up to me. 

"That was the plan..." I moaned, looking up at a grinning Rick. "But apparently, I'm coming with you." 

"Oh...really?" Jonathan asked, looking a little shocked. "Well, the more the merrier I always say!" 

"Yeah..." I mumbled, sighing angrily. 

"Oh...um...hello." Evy called, putting down her luggage. 

"Smashing way to start our adventure, eh, O'Connell?" Jonathan said, smiling happily, patting Rick and then shaking hands with him. 

"Yeah...yeah, smashing." Rick said, pulling out his wallet just to check on it quickly, giving Jonathan a look. 

"Oh, no, no, I'll never steal from my partner. Partner," Jonathan said, making Rick smile. 

"That reminds me; no hard feelings about the..." Rick quickly pulled his hand up and punched at the air, and I simply rolled his eyes.  
"You can't just say sorry?" I demanded, earning a shrug from my brother. 

"Oh, no, no, happens all the time." Jonathan answered, something I assumed was probably very true. 

"Mr. O'Connell," Evy began, cutting in suddenly. "Can you look me in the eye, and guarantee this...isn't all some kind of a...flimflam? Because if it is, I am warning you I will- -" 

"Oh joy, a cocky Brit.." I groaned, as Evy's eyes went wide at my comment. "See? It's happening already." I snapped. 

"Easy Ellen." Rick called, pushing me aside and stepping up to Evy. "You're warning me? Lady, let me put it this way...my whole damn garrison believed in this so much, that without orders, they marched halfway across Libya and into Egypt to find that city. And when we got there, all we found was sand, and blood." The look of shock that crossed Evy's face mad me feel suddenly worried for out safety. "Now, let me get your bags." He stated, before taking hold of my arm and pulling up along as we boarded the ship. 

"Yes, yes, you're right." Jonathan called, looking up. "Filthy, rude, complete scoundrel. Nothing to like there at all." 

"Bright, good morning to all." An extremely familiar voice spoke up, one that sent shivers of displeasure down my spin. 

"Not you." I groaned, looking down and feeling sick all of the sudden. 

"What are you doing here?" Evy demanded. 

"I'm here to protect my investment, thank you very much," The warden answered, and boarded the ship, glaring at us. 

I sighed heavily as I fallowed, simply wanted to get to my room and rest. These last few days, they'd been hell. And now, I was off to spend who knows how long in the desert, looking for this Hamunaptra place. 

Something told me that this adventure was going to be more then I bargained for. 


	3. Chapter 3

"So," Rick mused, as we slowly walked the boat later that night. "How'd you find me? Who told you where I was?" 

"It's not hard to find you Rick. Just gotta fallow the trail of damage." 

"Oh really?" 

"No not really. Last I saw you, you were in Giza. So I started there. And low and behold, there you were...locked up and getting ready to be hung." 

"Come on now Ellen." Rick sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm fine. Stop hovering on it." 

"Hover? Oh I'm not hovering. This is me, not hovering." 

"Oh really." 

"Listen mister, since you dragged me on this...thing, I have a right to be over protective, bitchy and...if I want to, whine however much I damned well want." 

"I thought the job of being over protective went to the older sibling?" Rick asked. "And wouldn't that be me?" He added, pointing to himself as we came to a door and stopped for a moment. 

"Since when have you ever looked out for me?" I asked as I pushed pasted him and walked into the dinning deck. 

I heard Rick sigh as he fallowed me, heading to a table where i saw Jonathan. "Since right now..." He mumbled. 

"Quit playing with your glasses and cut the deck, would you, Burns?" 

"Without my glasses I can't see the deck to cut, can I, Daniels?" Burns replied as Rick and I reached the table, looking down at them. 

"O'Connell! Sit down, sit down, we could use another player." Jonathan said. 

"Talking to me or him?" I asked, and Jonathan smirked. 

"Me." Rick snapped, stepping in front of me and to my right. "And, no thanks. I only gamble with my life, never my money." Rick replied. 

"Liar." I piped up, and all the men turned and looked at me as I reached out and pulled out a chair, placing it beside Jonathan and another man, before sitting down. "You've gambled with my money a fair few times if I recall." I smirked up at him, before turning back to the game, and flashing a smile at Jonathan, as he slowly leaned over and showed me his hand. 

"Comes with the perks of being my little sister." Rick mumbled angrily. 

"So that's your sister," The man to my right asked, looking over me. "What a beauty. You married yet?" 

"Excuse me?" I snapped, looking at him angrily before I was pulled upwards and out of my chair. 

"That'll be enough of that." Rick warned, pushing me behind him protectively as the man looked away, clearly a little worried for his safety.. 

"Just ignore Henderson." Daniels said with a small smirk directed at me. "Say O'Connell." Daniels continued. "What if I was to bet you five hundred dollars we get to Hamunaptra before you?" Daniels asked, smirking up at Rick. 

"You're looking for Hamunaptra?" I asked softly, looking at them a little shocked. 

"Damn straight we are." Henderson replied, grinning. 

"Hmm. Who says we are?" Rick asked. 

"He does." All three Americans pointed at Jonathan. He looked up at us with a apologetic expression. 

Sternly, I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down at him. "You idiot why would you go..." 

"Well I didn't think..." He interrupted me, before he was cut off by Daniels. 

"Well, how 'bout it?" He asked."Is it a bet?" 

Rick smiled and said, "Alright, you're on." 

"You can't be serious." I snapped, looking at Rick. 

"Aren't I always." He smirked. 

"What makes you so confident, sir?" One man with glasses asked. 

"What makes you?" I demanded, sensing more and more of my brothers attitude coming out in me after being with him for so long. 

"Oh...we've got us a man who's actually been there." Henderson replied with a smile. 

"Oh, what a coincidence, because- -" Jonathan began, but quickly, before Rick could act, I reached out and kicked his chair, stopping him mid sentence. "Who's play is it? Is it my play? I thought I just, um..." Jonathan said quickly. Rick quickly put a hand onto Jonathan's shoulder. 

"Gentlemen, we've got us a wager. Good evening, Jonathan." He tightened his grip on Jonathan's shoulder rather ruthlessly, before leaving. 

"Honestly, you boys and your bets." I smiled, going to sit back down and join the game. 

"Ellen!" Rick called. 

"Right! Night boys." I smiled, jumping back up. "Jonathan." I added, earning a small wave from the man as a fallowed Rick who was headed for the next table, where Evy was sitting reading a book. "I think I'm going to go to bed." I said softly, sensing what he didn't need to tell me. 

"Right." He nodded, leaning over and giving me a quick rough hug. "Night." 

"Night." I smiled, stopping as he continued to walked towards her. I watched only for a moment before I ventured away, leaving them to their talk and entering the deck below, going right to my room and jumping down on the bed. 

"Great...no pajama's..." I groaned, rolling over onto my side and looking around. I waited no more then fifteen minutes before rising up and venturing over to Evy's room, hoping that she would have something comfortable to offer me. 

"George Bembridge, in 1860..." I heard her mumble as I reached her door, peering in to see her dressed in a long white and flowing nighty with a book in her hands. "In 1865 was...Oh for heaven sake girl it wasn't that good of a kiss anyway!" She cried out in frustration. 

"Would this kiss be the one you shared with me brother?" I called, venturing in. 

"Oh Ellen! You scared me half to death!" Evy called out, jumping slightly. 

"Sorry." I apologized. "I just came to ask if you had anything I might borrow to sleep in?" Puzzlement crossed her face. "Well...since I was so abruptly kidnapped by my brother I didn't get to pack anything and..." 

"Oh! Oh yes, yes of course there should be something right there in my suitcase." She explained, pointing to it on the floor near the door. 

"Thanks." I smiled, venturing over and starting my search. "So...How'd your chat go with Rick?" I asked, glancing at her for a moment. 

"Oh...very well." She called, exaggerating. 

"Sorry to hear that." I chuckled, pulling out an almost identical nighty only in a cream color. "He can be hard to handle." 

"How to you manage it?" She asked as I turned and faced her. 

"Years of experience." I laughed, earning a smile. "Well...see you in the morning then?" 

"Right. Good night." She smiled, before she continued reading as I ventured out of her room and into the hall, before crossing over a few steps into my room. 

I didn't make it nearly two steps into the door way before i heard Evy gasp. "Evy?" I called, sticking my head back out and looking to her room. "You alright?" I asked, turning around and heading back. 

"Where is the map?" I heard a man ask suddenly as I got closer and closer. Slowly, I peered into the room to see a man dressed in black with a claw in his hand pressed against her cheek. 

"It's...it's there." Evelyn stammered, gasping for breath as he held his free hand on around her neck. 

"And the key? Where is the key?" He demanded as I slowly entered the room and crept up on him. 

"The key? The key? What key?" Evy asked, just as I came up behind him and raised my arm up high and made a fist, before slamming it down on the top of his head. 

"Evelyn!" Rick shouted suddenly, jumping into the room and crashing into me just. "Ellen!" He yelled out, gun's raised as he turned and looked to see the man in black holding Evy in front of him, the claw to her neck again. "Move!" Rick yelled suddenly, turing my way as I hit the floor fast, before he started firing on a man who had opened the window and was about to shoot, hitting the lamp that had been on the wall in the process and igniting the room. 

"Oh great!" I moaned, looking up as Evy took hold of a candle stick and smashed it into the man's face. 

"Let's move!" Rick yelled as I scrambled to my feet, jumping behind him with Evy behind me before he started firing at the window once again just as a man appeared. 

"Go!" I yelled, pushing Evy out into the hall, as we both started running. 

A loud gasp erupted from Evy, as she stopped in front of me and spun around. "The map! The map! I forgot the map!" She yelled as she ran. 

"Relax," Rick said, stopping her, "I'm the map. It's all up here." He pointed to his head 

"Oh, that's comforting!" Evy said as he pulled her down the hall with me following behind closely. The whole of the boat was starting to burn as people ran around, screaming and shouting, while the men in black appeared from no where, trashing everything in sight as we landed on the deck on the boat. 

"Hold on to this," Rick said, thrusting his gun bag into Evy's hand, before pulling one free and handing it to me. "You remember how to use this thing?" He asked. 

"Oh how could I forget!" I yelled angrily. Quit suddenly gun fire erupted and started slamming into the wall that we were leaning on, narrowly missing Rick's head if Evy hadn't pulled him aside. "Thanks." He muttered, before looking to me. "Ready?" I nodded quickly, before we stepped forward and started shooting, with Evy behind us. 

"Rick we really should get off the boat!" I yelled, reaching into his gun bag for another set of bullets as he continued to fire, while I looked around at the raging fires that surrounded us. "We should jump!" I suggested loudly. 

"Can you swim?" Rick asked, turning towards us, his glance landing on Evy. 

"Of course I can swim if the occasion calls for it!" She screamed loudly. 

"Trust me- -" Rick began, as he reached over and grabbed her in his arms. "- -It calls for it." He finished before tossing her over board, before he too was about to join her. He was stopped however as a man in black jumped up over the rail and landed on him, sending him back to the floor. 

"Rick!" I screamed out, spinning around and watched as the pair got two their feet and the man in back started to slam my brother with his fist. "Rick!" I yelled out again, fallowing after them as Rick hit a pole and the man started choking him. "HEY!" I yelled, as the man quickly turned and faced me, before I slammed my fist into his face, before screaming out in pain as Rick took over, kicking the man into a room that was ablaze. 

"What are you waiting for, you idiot? Jump overboard already!" Rick yelled at me, pushing me slightly. 

"Gee! Your welcome!" I yelled, shaking my hand slightly as it stung with pain. 

"Ellen, NOW!" He cried out. 

"Not without you!" I yelled, grabbing hold of him and pulling him along with me. 

"O'Connell! O'Connell!" We both turned to see the warden coming towards us, where he reached up and latched onto Rick, shaking him. "What are we going to do? What are we going to do?" He asked in panic. 

"Wait here! I'll go get help!" Rick answered, before he and I both jumped over the edge. Only a moment later, the fat man joined us in the water as we waded towards the shore, reaching it safely, joined by Jonathan. 

"Everyone okay?" Rick called. 

"Okay? Okay! We've lost everything!" Evy cried out. "All of our tools, all the equipment! ...All my clothes!" 

"O'Connell!" Quite suddenly I turned fast, hearing my last name being called as I looked to the other side of the river, where the American were all gathered. "Heeeeeyyy!" A man started yelling, running into the water slightly. "O'Connell! It looks to me like I've got all the horses!" He looked triumphant. Whoever this man was, he deserved a punch. 

"Hey Beni!" Rick yelled back. Apparently he knew this man. "Looks to me like you're on the wrong side of the RI-VER!" I couldn't help it and I flat out laughed happily, bringing a smile to Rick's lips as we looked over to this Beni character who looked as if he didn't believe Rick, then studied his surroundings, cursed in some other language and kicked the water. 

"Beni?" I asked, looking to Rick. "As in...Beni?" I yelled, knowing that it was the one and the same man who had left my brother to die years before. 

"Yeah...that's him." 

"Why that stupid little..." 

"Ellen!" Rick called, as they started to walk off without me. 

"Yeah, yeah. Coming." I called angrily, storming off to fallow them. 


	4. Chapter 4

"I don't like this...thing." I groaned, looking down at the red seethrought material that was now covering my arms and that was also being draped around me against the thicker skirt and bodice of my newly acquired outfit.

"It's traditional Egyptian clothing." Evy explained as we got dressed with the aid of a few Egyptian woman in a tented area in a village we had managed to find.

"But it's so...flowy." I noted, as a red shall with gold decals was placed over my head before being draped down around my shoulders. "And I hate it when my hair is down! I mean honestly! This can't be..."

"That's the way it's supposed to be." Evy smiled, interupting my little tantrum before suddenly the women were linking their arms with us and walking us out of the tent.

"Rick is never gunna let me live this down." I groaned, stepping out into the hot sun.

"I only want five! Five! I only want five, not a whole bloody herd! O'Connell! Can you believe the cheek?"I heard Jonathan call, and I looked over to see him standing in front of a man who had camels in his possession.

"Would you just pay the man?" Rick snapped, and Jonathan let out a sigh and thrust the money into the man's hands. Rick took three of the camels and Jonathan took the other two and led them towards us.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! Can't believe the price of these flee bags! Yes, happy. Veeerrry good," Jonathan grumbled, shaking his head.

"You probably could have gotten them for free," Rick explained. "All we had to do was give him your sister." Rick commented jokingly.

"Yes. Awfully tempting, wasn't it?" Jonathan replied, just as Evy and I reached them. "What about your own sister?" Jonathan suggested.

"Yes...awfully." Rick muttered, staring at Evy as she walked forward, her face covered in a thin black material. "But my sister?" He turned and looked at me, smirking. "Not on your life." He smirked at me as the camel grunted, and Rick patted its head. "Don't you look..."

"Don't even start with me Richard O'Connell." I warned, before reaching up and grabbing my hair and putting it into a pony tail.

"Okay, okay. Come on. We've got a long road ahead of us." He explained, before we all mounted up, and started out journey to Hamunaptra.

"Never did like camels," Jonathan complained along the way. "Filthy buggers. They smell, they bite, they spit." Just then, the warden spat into the sand close to me and I felt my stomach turn. "Disgusting." Jonathan finished his opinion glancing over at me as I nodded in agreement.

"I think they're adorable," Evy replied with a smile as she gave her's a friendly pat on the head as the warden started to sing a song in what I've now come to learn is Arabic. And so we rode on into the night.

"I think she likes you." I called, as Rick turned to look at me late in the night as the moon was high.

"What?" He asked, before slowly pushing Evy away from him as she leaned over, asleep and mumbling to herself.

"Evy...I think she likes you." I smirked.

"Ahuh. I'm sure." He snapped, as he camel made a loud grunting noise. "Shhh..." He called to it, and I chuckled as the warden started to snore.

"Oh dear lord..." I groaned, turning around and looking at him just as Jonathan woke up and turned, before reaching back and smacking him in the face with his whip. I had to pull my hand up and slap it over my mouth to stop from laughing as he snorted and woke up for a moment, shaking his head and looking around. "I'm starting to like Jonathan more and more." I noted, kicking my camel to join Rick on his left side.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He asked.

"Probably. But it's a little hard when your on top of a camel that's moving." He smiled at me, before his eyes slowly started to trail away and behind me. "So, how long till we get to...Rick? Hey? Are you listening to...what the hell are you looking at?" I demanded in a low voice, before I turned to see what he was looking at.

Standing atop a large mountain were horses, with riders. "Who...who are they?"

"I don't know." Rick answered, as I turned back around to look at him. "But I get the feeling this isn't the last we're gunna see of them."

Slowly, I turned back around and looked up at them once again, a shiver running down my spine.

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The glowing of the sun behind the horizon slowly crept up as Rick ordered us to come to a stop, meeting up with out American friends in what looked to me to be the middle of the god damned desert.

"Rick?" I called looking over to him. "Is everything okay?" I asked. He simply ignored me.

"Good morning, my friend!" A voice I recognized called out as a camel appeared in between Rick and I. I knew him immediately as Beni. "Ah, and you must be O'Connell's radiant sister that I've heard so much about!"

"Indeed I am." I smiled. "And you must be the filthy little pig of a man named Beni. Who left my brother to die in the desert." A look of shock passed over Beni's face. "Charmed, I'm sure." I snapped, before looking away as Rick chuckled.

"What the hell are we doing?" Daniels demanded angrily, looking around

"Patience, my good barat'm. Patience." Beni answered quickly, his eyes, like my brothers, on the horizon as the sun started to creep up even more.

"Remember our bet, O'Connell. First one to the city, 500 cash bucks." Henderson said to us and Rick nodded.

"A hundred of them bucks is yours if you help us win that bet," Daniels added to Beni.

"Oh, my pleasure," Beni said with a small nod. "Hey O'Connell. Nice camel." He added to Rick. Rick simply patted his camels' head.

"Get ready for it," Rick said suddenly, and I turned my attention to where he was looking

"For what?" I asked softly.

"We're about to be shown the way."

And then, almost as if on cue, the sun rose up. And where there simply was more and more sand, appeared the city of Hamunaptra. Like in a dream.

"Will ya look at that," Henderson called, leaning closer looking amazed as the waves of heart that came forth with the sun exposed the hidden city for us all to see.

"Can you believe it?" Daniels added with a smile.

"Hamunaptra." Burns called.

"Here we go again," Rick groaned.

In that instant, both he and Beni shot forward, racing towards the city, everyone fallowing suit as the race for 500 dollars started.

"Teek-teek-teek!" Evy yelled as she whipped at her camel. I whipped mine too tying to gain some lead on everyone as Rick raced in front, until he was side by side with Beni.

"Rick!" I cried out, watching as Beni quickly lifted up his whip and started hitting my brother. "You stupid little..." I groaned, kicking at my camel and suddenly gaining some speed, landing right beside Beni. "Hey!" I yelled, grabbing his attention as he turned to look at me before I reached out and punching him in the nose. Just at that moment, Rick reached over and grabbed Beni and pulled him off his camel, flinging him to the ground.

"So long, Beni!" Rick yelled out happily.

"That's what you get when you mess with the O'Connell's!" I cried out after him as Rick and I started chuckling, before quite suddenly Evy sprang forward and passed us and racing into the city limits, winning us the race.

"Whoo-oo! Go Evy, go!" Jonathan yelled out.

A large smile spread over my face as we joined her, the American's behind us, clearly unhappy. 


	5. Chapter 5

"I don't like this place..." I mumbled, leaning on a large pillar made of stone as Rick started to wrap a large rope around it. "I don't like this place one bit..." I added, looking around at all the work that was happening everywhere.

"Same here sister." Rick called, glancing up at me just as the warden came over and stood a little too close to me. "But you don't need to worry. Someone will protect you if something goes wrong." He grinned.

I shifted away slightly from the warden, only to have him fallow me. "Oh really?" I snapped, feeling the warden's eyes all over me."Shouldn't that be you, big brother?" I fired back as Rick started to tie the rope off.

"Don't worry." He smiled, swinging the rope suddenly and nearly hitting the warden in the face, making a whipping sound that sent him a few steps away from me. "I've got you covered." He grinned, before doing it again.

I chuckled as I reached up and crossed my arms over my chest. "Thanks."

"That's the Statue of Anubis," Evy explained, pointing to a statue with a large smile. "Its legs go deep underground. According to Bembridge scholars, that's where we'll find a secret compartment, containing the golden book of Amun-Ra. Jonathan, you're meant to catch the sun with that." She added as she looked to her brother who was cleaning off a large plate that was made of some kind of metal.

"You sure know a lot about this stuff." I commented as I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, offering some kind of relief from the blistering sun.

"Um, thank you..." She replied softly.

"So...ah, what are these old mirrors for?" Rick asked, coming over and joining us.

"Ancient mirrors. It's an old Egyptian trick. You'll see." She answered with a smile.

"Uh, here, this is..uh, for you." Quite suddenly, Rick held out a leather bag. Evy stared at him for a moment, looking uncertain. "Go ahead, it's something I borrowed off our American brethren. I thought you might light it...uh need it for when you're...uh, yeah." He made digging motions. "What are you looking at?" He added to the warden who was now beside him, and then turned to me. "You too." He snapped slightly.

"Why didn't I get something?" I joked.

"You got to come." He grinned before walking away.

"So, what did he...get you?" I held back on the word steal, knowing she would be displeased as I walked over to her, keeping my distance from the warden.

"It's a tool kit." She smiled, opening it and looking at it.

"How nice of him." I smiled, seeing exactly what was happening.

"Hey, look for bugs!" The warden called as Rick jumped into the hole. "I hate bugs."

"Oh please, shut up." I snapped, pushing past him and grabbing hold of the rope. "Rick?" I called down.

"Come on." He called back up before I ventured down, fallowed by Evy.

"Wow..." I called, looking around as Rick reached up and helped my off the rope. "This is...a first for me. Never been someplace like...this before." I smiled, stepping aside as Evy joined us, Rick helping her get down.

"You do realize we're standing inside a room no one has entered for over three thousand years?" Evy said happily as she looked around, just as Jonathan got onto the ground.

"Whoo! What is that god awful stench?" He said loudly waving his hand in front of his face as the warden entered above him. "Oh..." He called, glancing upwards as Evy ventured towards the only source of light in the room, aside from the torch that Rick was holding.

"Hey that's one of those old mirrors." I called, pointing to it as Evy reached up and brushed the cobwebs and dust off of it.

"Ancient." She corrected, sending me a smile. "And then there was...light." She tilted the mirror slightly, and instantly the room filled with light, reflecting off of each mirror onto another.

"Hey, that is a neat trick." Rick commented, and I smiled at him.

"Oh my God, it's a sah-net-jer." Evy said with surprise.

"Huh?" Both my brother asked.

"A preparation room," She explained.

"Preparation for what?" I asked softly.

"For entering the afterlife," She replied.

"Mummies, my good son. This is where they made the mummies." Jonathan explained as we ventured down the hall, Rick leading the way and me fallowing closely behind. Rick held a torch in one hand and his gun in the other and I quickly decided that if he was on alert, we all should be and pulled out the gun he had given me.

As we walked, an very noticeable noise surrounded us. "What the..." Evy called out, as we all started twisting and turning about.  
"What is that?" I called, holding up my gun as I looked around, before quit suddenly, it stopped. "I really, really don't like this place!" I whined, looking to Rick.

"What was that?" Jonathan whispered in sheer terror.

"Sounds like...bugs." Rick answered softly, looking over his shoulder at me.

I smirked at him and turned around looking directly at the warden. "He said it's bugs!" I cried out.

"What do you mean, bugs? I hate bugs." He said, terrified as we continued to walk down the hall, before quite entering a room

"The legs of Anubis," Evy explained, looking around in awe. "The secret compartment should be hidden somewhere inside here."

Suddenly, a new noise flooded into the room, coming from everywhere, echoing off the walls. "Okay, that sure as hell doesn't sound like bugs!" I called out in a harsh whisper as Rick handed his torch to Evy and pulled his gun out. Quite suddenly, it was clear that the noise was coming from the other side of the statue as we all placed ourselves against it, Rick and I pulling out guns out.

"Ready." He whispered to me as i nodded. "Go!" He called out, as he spun around the statue fast.

In that moment, we came face to face with what was coming at us...the American's.

"You scared the bejesus out of us, O'Connell," Henderson said.

"Likewise," Rick said, before lowering his guns.

"Hey, that's my tool kit!" Burns said, noticing the bundle in Evy's hands taking a threatening step forward.

"No, I don't think so," Rick said, before quite suddenly everyone's, minus my own, guns were up. "Um Ellen?"

"Oh right!" I said fast, pulling it up, as Henderson grinned at me. "Got something to say?" I snapped, turning my gun on him.

"Ah...nope!" He smiled sheepishly.

"O-kay. Perhaps I was mistaken," Burns said hesitantly, stepping back again, before Rick lowered his guns, and I fallowed suit.

"Well, have a nice day, gentlemen. We have a lot of work to be getting along with," Evy said loudly.

"Push off! This is our dig site." The Egyptologist instantly said arrogantly.

"We got here first," Evy replied angrily. Even then, I knew to put up my gun fast, as everyone else did the same.

"This here's our statue, friend." Daniels said angrily.

"Oh is it now?" I shot back cockily.

"Yes, well, there's only five of you, and fifteen of me. Your odds are not so great, O'Connell." Beni said, clearly saying it in my direction.

"You better watch what you say to me before I..." A quick jab in the side from Rick shut me up fast, as i turned my attention back to the problem at hand.

"I've had worse," Rick called.

"Yeah, me too," Jonathan agreed, and I had no doubt he wasn't lying.

"Honestly." I called, and all the men in both the American group, and our own, look at me. "So have I." I growled, my teeth clenched together.

"Oh, look, for goodness' sake, let's be nice, children." Evy said, interrupting our little argument as she stepped out and pushed our guns down. "If we're going to play together, we must learn to share."

"Excuse me?" I snapped, looking at her shocked. "But we..."

"There are other places to dig," She said quietly, her eyes on Rick, who lowered his guns.

"Come on." He said fast, turning and marching away.

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"According to these hieroglyphics...we're underneath the statue. We should come up right between his legs." Evy explained as Rick dug at the roof standing on top of a small statue, Jonathan standing beside him with me on the ground looking up.

"When those damn Yanks go to sleep- -" Jonathan began, but then quickly added, "No offense," Turning to Rick and myself.

"None taken." Rick replied and I nodded.

"- -we'll dig our way up and steal that book right out from under them."

"Are you sure we can find this secret compartment?" Rick asked.

"Oh, yes, if those beastly Americans haven't beaten us to it," Evy answered, "No offense." She added.

"None taken." Rick said again, and I nodded.

"Where'd our smelly little friend get to?" Jonathan asked suddenly, looking around.

It was then that I noticed, the warden was missing.

"Oh well." I noted, spinning back around and looking up at Rick. "I'm not worried."

"Neither am I." Jonathan smiled. "Smells better in here already."

"Come on guys. Nows a good time as ever for a break." I called, waving them down before venturing around a little bit, joined by Jonathan.

"Creepy isn't it?" He asked, still holding onto his pick axe.

"Wouldn't wanna get caught down here alone." I chuckled.

"You've got that right." He laughed, while Evy and Rick struck up a conversation behind us, sitting down on a large pillar that had fallen.

"Anyone up for golf?" Jonathan asked, kicking a stone out and aiming up his hammer, before whacking it.

"Only you would decide to play golf down here." I laughed.

"Need something to do don't I?" He smiled.

"Well seeing as you're not helping..." I noted.

"You're one to talk." He chuckled.

"Let me get this straight," I heard Rick call, as Jonathan lined up another rock. "They ripped out your guts and stuffed them in jars."

"Ou, nice one." I commented as Jonathan managed to hit something off in the distance. He looked up and grinned at me as I kicked over another rock for him to hit.

"And then they'd take out your heart as well. Oh! And you know how they took out your brains?" Evy said.

"Evy, I don't think we need to know this," Jonathan interrupted.

"I agree..." I moaned, feeling sick suddenly while Jonathan aimed up his neck shot.

"They'd take a sharp, red-hot poker, stick it up your nose, scramble things about a bit and then rip it all out through your nostrils."

As if the explanation wasn't enough to make me want to be sick, her demonstration made it all the worse.

"Ow, that's gotta hurt," Rick commented, bringing is hand up and touching his nose as he spoke.

"It's called mummification; you'll be dead when they do this," Evy explained.

"But still..." I mumbled, kicking over another small rock for Jonathan.

"For the record, if I don't make it out of here, don't put me down for mummification," Rick said looking to Jonathan and I asked Jonathan lined himself up again.

"Likewise," Both Jonathan and I called, before he swung the hammer and hit a rock, before a thundering crash entered the room as a large object fell to the floor.

"Jesus!" I cried out, turning around fast and grabbing hold of Jonathan. "What the hell happened?" I called, looking over to Rick and Evy who were standing behind what had apparently fallen from the ceiling.

"Oh my God. It's a...it's a...sarcophagus." Evy whispered in amazement and then looked up at the gapping hole where it had once rested as we made our way over to it. "Buried at the base of Anubis. He must have been someone of great importance. Or he did something very naughty." She explained as she brushed off the dust from the sarcophagus.

"Well, who is it?" Jonathan asked.

"He That Shall Not Be Named," Evy replied, reading the hieroglyphics, as Rick went around it, blowing off more dust.

"This looks like some sort of a lock," He commented suddenly, pulling my attention towards him and the onto the star shaped indentation on the sarcophagus.

"Well, whoever was in here sure wasn't getting out," Jonathan said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Rick agreed, then added, "It'd take us a month to crack this thing without a key."

"A...key?" I whispered, remembering having heard that somewhere.

"A key? A key! A key! Now that's what he was talking about!" Evy said as she started rummaging through the bag.

"He? He who?" I asked.

"Who was talking about what?" Rick called out, looking to Jonathan and I who were just as confused.

"The man! The man on the barge," Evy answered, looking over at me as it all fell into place. "The one with the hook. He was...he was looking for a key." She took out the puzzle box and fiddled around with it for a moment, before suddenly it popped open and revealed a star, which matched exactly the star on the sarcophagus.

"Hey, that's mine!" Jonathan added, reaching for it before i reached out and stopped him. "Hey."

"Shush." I ordered, turning my attention back to Evy.

She placed it on the sarcophagus, and it fitted perfectly. Evy looked up at us and smiled triumphantly.

She was just about to turn it, to unlock whatever we had discovered, when we heard the warden screaming.

"Oh god what now!" I called, as Rick and I pulled out gun's out and rushed towards where the screaming was coming from.

"Hey!" I called, as he rushed down a hall, to see him standing there, his arms wrapped around his head, screaming. "Hey!" I yelled again, before he ran past us and down the hall before slamming into the wall and falling down to the sand...Dead.


	6. Chapter 6

"What do you suppose killed him?" Evy asked us as we all sat around the fire, still slightly shocked over the death of our once unwanted comrade.

"Did you ever see him eat?" Jonathan replied.

"Have some respect." I snapped, reaching over and smacking him on the arm.

"Sorry..." He whispered.

"Seems that our American friends had a little misfortune of their own today," Rick said, joining us suddenly and sitting down next to me. "Three of their diggers were, uh...melted."

"Melted? What?" I asked, suddenly very worried.

"How?" Jonathan added.

"Salt acid. Pressurized salt acid. It's some kind of ancient booby trap."

"Maybe this place really is cursed," Jonathan whispered, as the wind howled around us. nearly putting out our fire. I shuddered suddenly and Rick put an arm around me for a moment, giving me some reassurance.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, you three!" Evy said to them in a slightly raised voice.

"You don't believe in curses, then?" I asked her softly, reaching forward with a stick and poking at the fire.

"No, I don't. I believe if I can see it and I can touch it, it's real. That's what I believe."

"I wouldn't be so sure..." I whispered.

"I believe in being prepared," Rick added, picking up a rifle and cocking it.

"Let's see what our friend the warden believed in," Jonathan said, picking up the warden's bag as he dug through it. Suddenly he screamed, causing both Evy and I to cry out as well.

"What? What is it?" I demanded, leaning closer to Rick.

"What?" Rick asked, looking over at Jonathan.

"A broken bottle." I sighed softly, pulling away from my brother who wasn't any the wiser to my fear. "Glenlivet. Twelve years old! He may have been a stinky fellow, but he had good taste." Jonathan opened up the bottle and drank a mouthful as Evy chuckled

"Thank god, that's all it is." I sighed, rolling my eyes with a chuckled, just as the unmistakable sound of horses carried over to us.

Looking about, I could tell that Rick sensed something. "Take this. Stay here." Rick said, handing the rifle to Evy, before he jumped up. I quickly sprang up and fallowed him.

"No, wait, wait! Wait for me! Wait!" Evy scrambled up and ran after us.

"Evy! Excuse me, but didn't the man just say 'stay here'? Evy!" Jonathan yelled at her, getting up and fallowing as the sudden sound of horse's stampeding towards us arose.

It became quite apparent to me that we weren't the only ones who knew where Hamunaptra was. And we certainly weren't alone as a group of men dressed in black raced into the city on horses, reminding me of the boat and of the men who attacked us there. And I had been right.

Instantly a battle of gun fire erupted around us, with the riders shooting at us and with Henderson, Daniels and Burns shooting back, hitting them men and knocking then off their horses, dead.

"Evy!" I yelled, turning for a moment to see her standing there with the rifle in her hands simply aiming it. "Shoot!" I screamed, as I started shooting once again.

That was when I saw Jonathan, running towards us, gun and booze in hand, with a rider right on his tail.

"O'Connell!" He cried out, to either myself or my brother. As I pulled my gun up, poised to shoot, Rick jumped down from where he was standing and knocking the man off his horse and onto the ground, where the man rolled and his scarf fell from his face.

Quickly, the man pulled a sword out and was about to head for Rick, when I acted, firing my gun off near him and grabbing his attention. And that was when this man, with tattoo's on his face, turned and charged me, pulling out a dagger.

"Oh...dammit." I sighed, my gun no longer loaded. "RICK!" I screamed as the man collided with me and sent me flying to the ground. As fast as I could I reached up and slammed my hand into the man's face, shocking him and giving me some ground over him. But he was strong, and held me down fast, pushing his rock hard body against mine, forcing me to stay put.

"You must leave." He said to me, looking right into my eyes as he held me to the ground, his face so close to mine that I could almost taste him. "Leave or risk everything."

"HEY!" It was almost as if the man was suddenly flying as he jumped up off of me, as Rick held out a stick of dynamite. "Get away from my sister." He called, threatening him with the now lit explosive.

"Enough! Yallah!" The man commanded, once again speaking that all to unknown language that was Arabic. "We will shed no more blood, but you must leave. Leave this place or die. You have one day."

"Why?" I asked him softly. He turned suddenly and looked right into my eyes, shocking me to my core as I felt my cheeks grow warm.

He quickly turned away from me and mounted his horse, never answering my question. Yelling out another command in Arabic, the men all started to pull away as they left the city.

I heard a grumble come from Rick as he ripped the still ignited fuse of the dynamite out and toss it to the ground.

As I looked around, surveying the damaged, i noticed that Burns had shaving cream on his face. A held back a laugh. An that was when I saw Evy, lying on the ground.

"Evelyn?" Rick called, as he went to her aid. "Hey. Are you all right?" He asked, helping her to her feet.

"I'm fine." Evy answered, looking a little stunned.

"You sure?" Rick studied her closely.

"Yes, thank you," She replied.

"See? That proves it! Seti's fortune's got to be under this sand," Daniels cried out.

"For them to protect it like this, you know there's treasure down there." Henderson added in agreement.

"How can you be sure?" I called out.

"No, these men are desert people. They value water, not gold." Rick explained.

"Exactly." I added.

"You know, uh, maybe just at night, we could uh, combine forces, hmm?" Burns suggested. Rick looked at him.

"Not a chance." He called.

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It was late as we sat around the fire. Jonathan had fallen asleep, clutching the warden's bottle, which was empty, and Rick was trying to teach Evy how to fight. And due to the ungodly amount of alcohol we'd consumed, and because Evy was drunk, he was having a hard time at it.

"Really Ellen, you should learn to fight as well." She called, looking over at me before giggling.

"Way ahead of you on that front Evy." I smiled at her. "Rick taught me how to fight ages ago."

"And I see from tonight that you haven't forgotten." He smiled.

"Can't forget those kinds of things." I mumbled, before lying back and looking up at the night sky filled with stars while Rick and Evy chatted away. But quit suddenly, Evy's voice rose and i rolled over to see what was happening as she got to her feet.

"Look I...I may not be an explorer, or...or and adventurer or a treasure seeker or a gun fighter, Mr. O'Connell!" She called out, her balance a little on the light side. "But I am proud of what I am."

"And what's that?" I called, holding back a giggle.

Evy smiled happily, looking up at the sky. "I! ...Am a librarian!"

At that very moment I rolled back over, laughing softly to myself and ignoring them again for the most part.

Until I noticed something in the air between them, and I turned back to watch as Evy leaned up to kiss my brother, before she passed out in his lap. A small giggled rose from my lips before I could even stop myself.

"Quiet." He muttered over to me, as he helped Evy into her bed, before coming over and sprawling out to my right.

"Nice night huh?" I smiled, still looking at the sky.

"Go to sleep Ellen." He growled.

"Yes big brother." I smiled, closing my eyes and slipping away into a dream that, oddly, was filled with visions of the man in black.


	7. Chapter 7

I watched closely as Rick and Jonathan lifted up the sarcophagus into a standing position. I wasn't nearly as excited to open it as

Evy was, but still, I wondered just what we might find.

"Oh, I've dreamed about this ever since I was a little girl," Evy said excitedly, taking out the key and opening it.

"You dream about dead guys?" Rick asked and I snorted.

"Oh look, his sacred spells have been chiseled off." Evy said, looking down and studying it. "This man must have been condemned not only in this life but in the next."

"Tough break," Rick said.

"Yeah, I'm all tears," Jonathan added as he twisted the key in the lock before he took it out. "Now, let's see who's inside, shall we?" Evy looked as excited as a kid as Christmas as she slipped towards the right, as Jonathan and Rick pulled the lid off, while I slowly walked forward and stood right in front of the sarcophagus.

And then, with on great pull, the lid was off, and the mummy was set free, popping out at me.

I screamed right away, and leaned back, only to fall onto my back. "Oh god." I cried out, my heart pounding.

"You okay old bird?" Jonathan called, as he jogged over and leaned down, offering me his hand.

"Oh...yeah great." I smiled as he pulled me to my feet.

"Oh, my God, I hate it when these things do that," Evy called, looking over the mummy.

"Is he supposed to look like that?" Rick asked, as Jonathan and I got closer for a better look.

"No, I've never seen a mummy look like that before. He's still...he's still- -"

"Juicy," Rick, Jonathan and i muttered at the same time.

"Yes," Evy agreed, "H-he must be more than 3000 years old...and, well, it looks as if he's still...decomposing." Evy explained.

"Hey, look at that," Rick said, pointing to the sarcophagus's lid. "What do you make of this?"

Strange, long scratches were dug into the lid from the inside. "My God, these marks were made with..." Evy began

"Fingernails?" I asked, not even wanting to know if I was right.

"This man was buried alive," Evy concluded. "And he left a message" She added, looking to the symbols that were also scratched onto the lid. "_'Death is only the beginning'_." She muttered.

We all took a moment, and looked at the mummy, an eerie feeling washing over us all.

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"Say, O'Connell, what do you think these babies'll fetch back home?" Henderson asked, shaking a jar as he came towards us as we sat at the fire that night.

"Probably nothing, if your lucky." I called to him, earning me a grin from both Henderson and my brother

"We heard you boys found yourselves a nice, gooey mummy. Well, congratulations!" Burns added, sitting down.

"What's it to you?" Rick asked angrily.

"Well, if you dry that fella out, you might be able to sell him for firewood," Daniels suggested as they all laughed. Rick simply made a face and ignored them.

"Look what I found!" Evy's voice called out as she suddenly approached us.

"You're in her seat," Rick said, turning to Beni, who simply laughed. "Now!" Rick added sharply when he didn't move.

"Yup," Beni muttered, getting up fast and letting Evy sit down.

"Scarab skeletons!" Evy said, holding out her hands and showing them to us. "Flesh eaters. I found them inside our friend's coffin." Both Rick and Jonathan picked one up and studied it as I looked them over in Evy's hands. "They can stay alive for years, feasting on the flesh of a corpse."

"Really?" I asked, amazed. Evy nodded.

"Unfortunately for our friend, he was alive when they started eating him."

"So somebody threw these in with our guy, and then they slowly ate alive?" I asked softly, still looking at the skeletons, shocked.

"Very slowly," Evy said eerily.

"Well, he certainly wasn't a popular fellow when they planted him, was he?" Jonathan commented.

"Well, he probably got a little too frisky with the Pharaoh's daughter," Rick said, causing both myself and Evy to smile.

"Well, according to my readings...our friend suffered the Hom-Dai, the worst of all ancient Egyptian curses...one reserved only for the most evil of blasphemers. Well, in my research, I've never heard of this curse having actually been performed." Evy explained.

"There's always a first for everything." I whispered, paying more attention to the fire then the conversation.

"That bad, huh?" Daniels asked.

"Yes, well they never used it because they feared it so." She explained further. "It's written that if a victim of the Hom-Dai should ever arise...he would bring with him the ten plagues of Egypt."

"Oh joy." I whispered softly, earning a jab in the ribs from Rick. "Ow." I muttered.

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Sleep was hard to come by that night, as I tossed and turned, thinking about everything that had been happening. The warden dying, what happened to the American's slaves. And of course finding that mummy. But mostly, what was sticking with me was what that man had said. That man in black. That I needed to leave.

I shuddered against the cold of the night and rolled over only to find Evy walking towards her bed, with a large object in her hands.

"What's that?" I called softly, sitting up.

"That's called 'stealing', you know." Rick said, and I turned to see that he too was awake.

"According to you and my brother...it's called borrowing. " Evy called as she rummaged through the bag and found the key.

"I thought the Book of Amun-Ra was made out of gold," I called, pulling my legs up to my chest as I watched her open the key and place it into the lock.

"It is made out of gold. This isn't the Book of Amun-Ra. This is something else," Evy answered, her eyes once again filled with excitement. "I think this may be the Book of the Dead."

"The Book of the Dead?" Rick and I both repeated.

"Are you sure you want to be playing around with this thing?" Rick asked.

"It's just a book. No harm ever came from...reading a book," Evy replied as she opened the book, causing the wind to howl around us.

"That happens a lot around here," Rick muttered, looking edgy, much like myself. "So what's it say?"

"Amun Ra. Amun Dei. It speaks of the night and of the day." She explained, before continuing to read, going further and further along until...

"Nooooooo!" The Egyptologist yelled out as he jumped up and ran over to us. "You must not read from the book!"

"I get the feeling..." I whispered, looking to Rick suddenly feeling ill. "That we just ran into trouble." I gulped, as a loud buzzing sound rose up into the air.

"Huh?" Jonathan called, sitting up fast.

"What is it?" I cried out, looking into the horizon as a large black cloud suddenly appeared, spreading out in all different directions and coming right at us.

"What's happening?" Daniels called out as he and the other Americans join us, guns out. It was then that I saw, Rick too had his weapon at the ready and I knew, I should get out mine as well.

"Insects!" Jonathan yelled suddenly.

"RUN!" Rick screamed, reaching forward and grabbing Evy's hand and pulling her along, as I fallowed, with Jonathan at my side as we headed towards the nearest tunnel, where we dove in and continued to run.

"Well the hell did they come from?" Jonathan cried out as we continued down the passage.

"I ain't waitin' around to find out!" Daniels cried out.

I was so wrapped up in running, rushing forward that I didn't notice that Burns had fallen till i heard his distant cry behind me of; "My glasses! My glasses!"

"Burns!" I yelled out, turning to help him.

"Ellen no!" Jonathan cried out, reaching back and grabbing my hand, pulling me up and ahead of him, giving me a little push to get me going.

Quite suddenly I looked up and realized that we were in a very tight narrow hallway, as Rick lean the way before i slowly slipped past him, looking around. "Where are we?" I asked, turning to Rick.

"I don't..." His sentence was cut off as the ground suddenly started to shake, causing me to loose my balance.

"What the fu...!"

Directly in front of me, right before my eyes, a large mound in the ground started to rise out of the sand. And out of the mound, hundreds, no maybe thousands of scarabs piled out, rushing towards us.

"Scarabs!" Evy cried out.

"RUN!" Rick screamed, as we turned fast and raced away.

"Go, go, go!" Jonathan called as we raced away, Rick behind us, taking a few shots to try and stop them as we entered another chamber that we hadn't been in before, running up a hill in the path.

Quickly Rick and Jonathan jumped over onto another ledge, before i joined them, slamming into it, my legs dangling down..

"Rick...Rick...RICK!" I screamed, scrambling to try and pull myself up, before he reached out and pulled me up onto my feet, as we turned and watched as the scarab rushed up the hill and disappeared.

"That was...eventful!" I gasped, trying to catch my breath.

"Where's Evy?" Jonathan asked suddenly, looking around.

"Evelyn?" Rick called out.

"Evy?" I cried out, as we jumped back over to the main path, rushing over to where we last saw her.

"Evelyn?" Rick called out again.

"Evy!" Jonathan yelled this time, holding the torch up higher to try and see her.

"There! She was standing over there!" I called, pointing to where I had last seen her.

"Hold this." Rick called, tossing me the rifle before he jumped back across the large crack in the ground, landing hard and rolling, before regaining himself and walking back over to the ledge. "Toss it to me." He instructed, as i tossed him the rifle, before he placed it on the ground. "Now jump, Jonathan first." He called, as Jonathan backed up, before running and jumping, landing hard on his feet and nearly falling to the ground.

"Alright now Ellen. You can make it."

"I hardly made it the first time!" I screamed angrily.

"We'll catch you." Jonathan promised, as they stood close to the edge.

"Come on Ellen...you can do it."

"Oh...dammit." I groaned, backing up against the wall. "If I fall and die..." I warned, looking at my brother.

"You wont." He promised, his arms outstretched. "Ready? One, two..."

I ran forward fast and leapt up into the air before coming down hard on the floor and falling into both Rick and Jonathan's arms.

"There see, that wasn't so hard was it?" Rick asked as they both helped me up.

"Oh yeah, real fun." I groaned as Rick picked up the rifle and headed over to the door, before banging on it a few times.

"Dammit!" Rick yelled, slamming the rifle against the stone. "Trap door. There's gotta be a switch or something around here someplace..."

"RUN YOU SONS OF BITCHES!"

Turning we watched as Henderson and Daniel's appear, with their slaves behind them, running like made.

"Go!" Rick yelled, reaching over and grabbing my hand as we jumped down onto the path and started running back the way we came. For a moment, i looked back and saw a few of the slaves fall behind, before getting eaten by the scarabs.

"Oh God!" I cried out, hurrying along as we went down another corridor, Jonathan and the American's ahead of us. "Evy!" I cried out, coming to a dead stop, Rick slamming into me.

"There you are!" He yelled, letting go of me and charging towards her. "Quit playing hide-and-seek and lets' get out of here!" He yelled as I rushed forward to join them. But as soon as I entered it's line of sight I stopped dead and looked to my right.

"RICK!" I screamed, as he turned and faced what myself and Evy were both looking at.

"Whoa!"

"Evy?" Jonathan called, as he rushed into the room. As he skidded to a halt, he cried out at the sight of the mummy, dropping his torch as Daniel's and Henderson appeared behind him.

It was then that the mummy suddenly opened it's massive jaws and roared at my brother, causing me to jump back and right into

Daniel's arms, just as Rick roared back, and shot him multiple time before grabbing Evy.

"Move!" He yelled, as Jonathan came forward and grabbed my hand before we started running as well.

"Yeah, right!" Daniels yelled, pushing me forward as we started running again.

"Did you see that? It was walking!" Jonathan cried out as he ran behind us.

"Come on!" Rick yelled, as we all turned a corner into a larger room, myself somehow now in the lead, only to stop dead.

Greeting us were rifles pointed right at us, and the ever elusive men in black. And with them, on his hands and knees was the Egyptologist, clutching the book in his hands.

"Ellen!" Rick cried out, rushing forward and grabbing my arm, pushing me behind him protectively. But I was too wrapped up in looking up at the man in black who was looking down at me as he slowly pulled his scarf back. I knew him right away.

"I told you to leave or die. You refused. Now you have killed us all..." He said looking at us all, but stopped when he looked at me. "For you have unleased a creature we have feared for more then 3,000 years."

"Relax." Rick called, stepping in front of me blocking the man's view of me. "I got him."

"No mortal weapon can kill this creature! He's not of this world." The man said angrily, glaring at Rick, his accent thick as he spoke. Suddenly, he turned and two more men in black pulled Burns forward, as he moaned before they dropped him.

"You bastard!" Daniels cried out.

"What did you do to him?" Henderson demanded.

"Saved him. Saved him before the creature could finish his work." The man replied as I watching him, peeking over Rick's shoulder. Quite suddenly he caught sight of me, and held my gaze as he spoke. "Leave, all of you, quickly, before he finishes you all."

"Thank you for helping Burns." I said suddenly, sliding out to Rick's right.

"Ellen." He snapped, pushing me back behind him, as I looked up at the man who seemed a little shocked that I had spoken.

"Yallah. Nimishi." He said and the men lowered their guns. "We must now go on the hunt and try to find a way to kill him." He explained, as he walked past Rick and myself.

"I already told you." Rick snapped, causing the man to stop right beside me. "I got him." Rick finished, as i slowly stepped back and pressed myself against Rick.

"Know this." He said angrily, stepping towards us both. "This creature is the bringer of death. He will never eat, never sleep, and he will never stop." He gave me one last look before turning away. And then he was gone.

"I say we pack up." Daniels suggested.

"I'm with you." Rick agreed.


	8. Chapter 8

"Honestly..." I moaned, looking at them as they fought back and forth. "Would you two give it a rest! It's too hot for this!"

I watched as Rick and Evy fought back and forth, one packing, the other unpacking the suit, both arguing for what seemed five hours.

"I thought you said you didn't believe in that fairy tales and hokum stuff. Shoo!" Rick said to the white cat that was curled up on the suitcase before Evy reached over and picked it up, and passing it over to me as I sat on the bed where it curled up once again in my lap.

"Nice kitty." I cooed, reaching down and petting it.

"Well I...H-Having an encounter with a 3,000-year old walking, talking corpse does tend to convert one." She exclaimed before shoving more cloths back into the suit case. I simply rolled my eyes

"Forget it. We're out the door, down the hall and we're gone." Rick declared.

"Oh no, we are not."

"Oh yes we are."

"Oh no, we are not. We woke him up and we are going to stop him."

A look of confusion passed over my brothers face as he looked to Evy. "'We'? What we? We didn't read that book. I told you not to play around with that thing. Didn't I tell you not to play around with that thing?"

"Yes, fine then, me, me, me, me, I, I, I, I woke him up and I intend to stop him."

"Oh yeah? How? You heard the man- -no mortal weapons can kill this guy."

"Well maybe we can find some immortal ones?" I suggested, earning a very evil glare from Rick. "Sorry..." I mumbled, before petting the cat again.

"There goes that 'we' again."

"Will you listen to me? We have to do- -" She called out, before she slammed the suit case lid shut, right down onto Rick's fingers.

"You okay?" I called.

"Aaah!" Rick cringed.

"Once this creature has been reborn...his curse is going to spread until the whole of the Earth is destroyed."

"Yeah? Is that my problem?" Rick asked, shaking his fingers.

"Well it is everybody's problem." Evy noted.

"I have to agree with Evy on this one Rick."

"You stay out of this." He snapped in my direction. "Evelyn, I appreciate you saving my life and all, but when I signed on...I agreed to take you out there and to bring you back. And I have done that. End of job, end of story, contract terminated." Rick said angrily, before he suddenly turned to me. "And incase you didn't realize!" He added, before looking back to Evy. "I have my little sister to worry about. So I'm going to pack us up and get her the hell out of her before...god knows what happens!"

"Hey!" I yelled, as he turned back and looked at me. "You keep me out of this!"

"Ellen..." He warned, turning to step towards me.

"That's all I am to you?" Evy said suddenly, and Rick turned back around. "A contract?"

"Look, you can either tag along with me..." Pausing, Rick looked back at me, then back to Evy. "Us!" He corrected. "Or you can stay here...and try to save the world! What's it gonna be?"

"I'm staying."

"Fine!" Rick said.

"Fine!" Evy said.

"Fine! Come on Ellen." Rick snarled, turning around and looking at me where i say on the bed. "I need a drink."

"I'm...staying too." I whispered softly, holding the cat close.

"What?"

"Well..." I looked over at Evy and then back to Rick. "We did do this Rick! It's 'we'! Not her! And I'll be damned if i let that...thing destroy the world."

"No. No, no, no!" He yelled, marching over and grabbing me, before pulling me along with him to the door. "You're coming with me, end of story." He snapped. "And you..." Turning fast, he looked to Evy. "You stay here."

"Fine!" Evy yelled.

"Fine!" Rick called back.

"Fine!" Evy screamed.

"FINE!" Rick bellowed out, marching out of the room and pulling me along with him, before turning back and shutting the door.

"She's not going to be happy with you later on." I noted as he pulled me along with him downstairs.

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"Rick will you let me go?"

"No. You'll just run away. Like you always do."

"Well I have a good reason!" I snapped as we entered the bar, where Rick quickly bumped into a man.

"Oh hey Winston." He smiled, patting the man on the back before pulling me along with him, as I smiled at the man in passing.

"Oh! You know O'Connell." Winston called, fallowing us as we walked up to the bar where Jonathan was sitting. Quickly, I pulled away from Rick and rushed up to the bar where I sat down beside him and smiled, before he reached forward and pulled up a bottle and motioned it towards me. I simply nodded before he went about pouring two shots.

"Ever since the end of the great war there...there hasn't been a single challenge worthy of a man like me."

"Cheers." I said to Jonathan, as we raised out shot glasses and clinked them together, before downing them.

"Yeah? Well we all got out little problems today don't we Winston?" Rick commented before nodded at Jonathan, who began to pour another three shots, just as the man named Winston stepped up and bumped into me.

"Ew..." I muttered, leaning towards Jonathan to get away from the smell that lingered around him or booze and many other things.

"I just wish I could have chucked in with the others and gone down in flame and glory instead of sitting around here..."

"Rotting of boredom and booze..." Right whispered, finishing Winston's sentence with him as we picked up out shot glasses.

"Cheers!" Winston called, reaching forward and grabbing Jonathan's shot. "Oh well! Back to the air field!" he called, before reaching up and patting Rick and Jonathan on the back and brushing up against me. "Haha!" He called, before turning away.

"Tell me," Rick started, as Jonathan started to pour another drink for himself and me. "Has your sister always been..."

"Ah yes." He chuckled, before Rick could even finish.

"Well..." Turning slightly, I watched as Henderson and Daniels appeared at the bar. "We're all packed up but the damned boat doesn't leave till tomorrow."

"Tail set firmly between your legs I see." Jonathan called, before he and I lifted out glasses and took a drink.

"Yeah well you can talk you don't have some sacred walking corpse after you."

"He looked to be after all of us if I'm not mistaken." I snapped angrily, before finishing my drink as Jonathan reached up and poured me another.

"Easy up there cowgirl." Henderson called, leaning on the bar and looking at me. "Don't want you getting too tipsy there and giving me a very nice farewell."

I smirked at him, leaning forward onto the bar as well, to get a better look at him. "Oh well...I'd probably have to get a lot more tipsy seeing as that would probably be the only way I could pretend to enjoy it."

"Ouch." Daniels called, chuckling and Jonathan smirked down at me, before reaching up and patting me on the back.

"Hey." Henderson called, looking less than pleased as he turned his attention to Rick. "You're sister always been so..."

"Might not wanna finish that sentence." Rick warned. "So uh...how's your friend?" He asked softly, turning to Daniels.

"He had his eyes and his tongue ripped out." Daniels explained. "How would you be." He snapped, turning around and leaning down onto the bar, before we all did the same.

"Dear god..." I mumbled. "If there's anything we can do...anything at all." I offered, reaching over and placing a hand on Daniel's shoulder.

"Don't think there's much anyone can do for him..." He sighed, before pulling away an walking off.

"Well." Jonathan called, each of us with drinks in hand. "Guess there's not much left to say is there?"

"Not really..." I mumbled, leaning into Rick.

"Good luck boys." Rick called, holding his shot glass up, before myself, Jonathan and Henderson clinked out glasses together and took a drink.

But as soon as the liquid hit my mouth, I bent forward and spit it out. "What is that?"

"Sweet Jesus!" Henderson called, as he reached up and swiped his mouth. "Taste's just like..."

"Blood..." Rick finished as he stepped forward and dropped his glass, looking at the fountain in front of him, which now ran red.

"Oh God!" I gasped.

"And the rivers and waters of Egypt ran red." Jonathan called. "And were as blood." He finished.

"He's here..." Rick called, before turning around fast and grabbing hold of my hand, racing out of the bar fast as we burst out into the open and headed towards out room, only to find Evy walking about, with books in her hands.

"Oh Evelyn!" Rick called, letting go of my hand as he rushed towards her.

"Oh so you're still here?" She called, turning and looking at him.

"Ah, heh, we've got problems." He explained as i reached them, just as thunder clapped against the sky, before balls of fire suddenly stormed down everywhere.

"Move." Rick called, pushing me forward and grabbing Evy as we made our way along, watching as large balls of fire landed down around us, igniting people and burning everything in their paths.

"We gotta go!" I called, turning fast to run up the stairs and crashing into none other then Beni. "You!" I called, as he started to race back up the stairs.

"HEY!" Rick yelled, spotting Beni. "Beni you little stinkweed, where've you been?" Rick yelled, just before the loud thundering roar arose from upstairs.

"What...was that?" I yelled, not even caring that Beni was racing away from us.

"Come on." Rick called, pulling out his gun, as i fallowed suit before we raced upstairs and into a room, where Rick took the lead and stepped in first, my second and Evy third.

"Oh god!" I called, as Rick stopped in front of me, as Evy gasped as we laid out eyes on the remains of Burns, before a cracking sound pulled our attention away.

"Oh shit." I called, pulling my gun up and watching as the mummy's joints started locking back into place, as what appeared to be new muscle grew on his limbs, making him look more whole as he turned and faced us, howling.

"We are in serious trouble." Rick called as the mummy stepped forward and we opened fire.

"Evy!" I heard Jonathan yell from behind us as the mummy got closer and closer, before rushing forward and picking both myself and Rick up, and sending us flying backwards into Jonathan and the American's, before i quickly started to scramble back up.

"Evy!" I cried out, watching as the mummy leaned down towards her.

The unmistakable sound of a piano flew into the room, catching us all off guard as we turned and looked to see the cat, walking across the keys.

The mummy's roar rose up and cried out into the room, before he turned into a sand storm and flying out the window.

"We are in very...serious...trouble." Rick finished, looking over at me, as I nodded.


	9. Chapter 9

"What exactly is this going to accomplish?" I asked as we walked up the steps of the museum that Evy worked at.

"The Curator might know something about what's happening. There might be something in the books. Anything to help." Evy explained as we entered the massive building.

"He does seem to like Evy," Jonathan commented in regards to the mummy as we walking down the halls.

"Yeah, what's that about?" Rick asked looking a little put off at the notion.

"What's this guy want anyway?" Daniels asked.

"There's only one person I know that can possibly give us any answers," Evy replied as she turned and we all fallowed her into a large room. As we did, two men turned to face us. One of them, the man from Hamunaptra, the man in black.

"You!" Evy yelled out in surprise as every pulled out their guns and aimed them.

"Miss Carnahan. Miss. Gentlemen," The Curator said to us.

"Ellen." The man in black said, looking at me. "I believe I heard her name to be Ellen."

"Watch it." Rick snarled, looking at him angrily, as my heart gave a flutter.

"What is he doing here?" Ellen asked.

The curator looked at the man in black, before looking back to us. "Do you really want to know, or would you prefer to just...shoot us?"

I looked at Rick angrily, until finally he put his guns away. "After what I just saw, I'm willing to go on a little faith here."

"We are part of an ancient secret society. For over 3,000 years we have guarded over the City of the Dead. We are sworn at manhood to do any and all in our power to stop the High Priest Imhotep from being reborn into this world- -" the Curator began.

"- -And now because of you, we have failed." The man in black finished, his eyes flashing over to me for a moment.

"Great." I sighed, looking over at Rick. "You see the things i get into because of you and your anticks? All this because you were arrested!" I cried out angrily.

"Is she always like this?" Jonathan called.

"You mean annoying? Yes." Rick snapped, looking down at me. "Always."

"Little sister, it's my job to be like this." I snapped at him, before looking back to the man in black, who's eyes were watching me intensely.

"And you think this justifies the killing of innocent people?" Evy asked, pulling me out of whatever fantasy i was trapped in with those eyes.

"To stop this creature? Let me think..." The Curator answered.

"Yes!" Both the Curator and the man in black said together before Evy started pacing.

"Question: Why doesn't he like cats?" Rick asked, holding up a hand like he was at school.

"Well cats are the guardians of the underworld," The Curator replied. "He will fear them until he is fully regenerated."

"And then he will fear nothing," The man in black finished.

"Yeah, and you know how he gets hisself fully regenerated?" Daniels said.

"By killing everyone who opened that chest." Henderson answered.

"And suckin' them dry, that's how!" Daniels added.

"Jonathan, will you stop playing with that?" Evy cried out, and I turned to see him playing with an bow as he stood in a chariot. He stopped right away, before turning and bumping into a fake man who also stood in the chariot. "W-When I saw him alive at Hamunaptra, he called me...Anck-su-Namun." Evy said to them. The Curator exchanged a glance with the man in black. "And then, just now, in Mr. Burns's quarters, he...he tried to kiss me."

"Which is something disgusting on a whole knew level." I noted.

"It's because of his love for Anck-su-Namun that he was cursed," The Curator explained, looking shocked. "Apparently, even after 3,000 years-"

"He is still in love with her," The man in black finished.

"Yes, well, that's very romantic...but, what has it got to do with me?" Evy asked, a question i too was wondering.

"Perhaps he will once again try to raise her from the dead," The man in black said, clearly speaking to the curator.

"Yes." The Curator agreed. "And it appears he has already chosen his human sacrifice." They both turned and looked at Evy, who looked utterly shocked.

"Bad luck, old mum." Jonathan commented.

"On the contrary, it may just give us the time we need...to kill the creature." The Curator said.

"What you mean use her like bait?" I snapped, watching him angrily. "Sorry Evy but...I'm game." I sighed, turning and looking at her.

"Good. Because we will need all the help we can get. His powers are growing." The man in black said looking up. We all turned with him to see that suddenly, there was an eclipse.

"And he stretched forth his hands towards the heavens...and there was darkness throughout the land of Egypt."

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"We need to stop him from regenerating." Evy said, as we entered the hotel room. "Who opened the chest?"

"Well, there was me and Daniels." Henderson answered. "Oh and Burns..."

"And that Egyptologist fellow." Daniels added.

"What about my buddy Beni?" Rick asked.

"No, he scrammed out there before we even opened the damned thing."

"What a shame..." I whispered.

"Well he was the smart one." Henderson commented.

"We must find the Egyptologist and bring him back here so he's safe." Evy said to us, looking at everyone.

"Right." Rick answered, turning and looking to me, and then back to Evy. "You stay here and you five," he turned back and looked at us all. "Come with me."

"Wait just a moment!" Evy cried out complaining.

"Whoa not me!" Daniels called.

"What are you talking about?" Jonathan demanded.

"I ain't going out there!" Henderson said.

"Yeah. Why does she get to stay and you make me go?" I cried out angrily as he walked past me.

"You can't just leave me behind here like some kind of carpetbag! I mean, who put you in charge? O'Connell, what do you think you're doing! ?" Evy complained again. Suddenly, Rick stopped, turned around and went to Evy before he picked her up and placed him over his shoulder. "Jonathan! Ellen! O'Connell!"

"Uh...Sorry, but he's a bit...tall." Jonathan said.

"Rick this isn't fair she..." But I stopped myself before i could ever try and get a word in.

"Coward that you are! O'Connell, you are not leaving me in here! O'CONNELL! Jonathan, if you don't open this door in one minute flat- -O'Connell, let me out of here!" She cried out even louder as Rick slammed the door shut and locked it, before reaching over and grabbing Daniels and pulling him over.

"This door doesn't open. She doesn't come out, and no one goes in, right?" Rick instructed.

"Right." Daniels replied.

"Right?" He turned to Henderson.

"Right."

"Alright. Ellen, you stay here and keep an eye on them for me."

"Fine." I snapped, wondering if he intended to keep me here the whole time, while Evy continued her assault on the door.

"Let's go, Jonathan."

"Oh well, i thought I could just stay at the fort and, un, reconnoiter."

"Now!" Rick yelled.

"Yeah right! We're just gunna rescue the Egyptologist." He explained, hurrying after Rick.

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"This is just...intolerable." I sighed, looking around the room, wanting nothing then to get out after wanting nothing then to stay in.

"To hell with this," Daniels said suddenly. "I'm going downstairs, get me a drink. You two want somethin'?"

"Anything." I called, before he turned to Henderson.

"Yeah." Henderson called. "Get me a glass of bourbon."

"Alright." Daniels nodded, before turning and heading towards the door.

"A-and a shot of bourbon." Henderson called, as he got up and slowly fallowed him.

"Yeah, okay, okay."

"And a bourbon chaser!" He called.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll get your damn bourbon!" Daniels's voice came from somewhere down the hall.

"Don't worry about the door." Henderson closed the door. I simply sighed and watched as he returned to his seat.

"So," He said suddenly, turning and looking at me. "What brought someone as pretty as you to Egypt?"

"My brother."

"Oh? Rick?"

"One and the same." I sighed.

"Seems to me like he gets you into trouble a lot."

"More then you know." I chuckled.

"Well...at least you can handle yourself well."

"Meaning?" I asked, looking over at him.

"Well...you're not the one locked in the room are you?"

"What you mean like Evy?" I asked, and he nodded. "Oh trust me, I used to be just as bad, if not worse then her. Till Rick set me straight."

"Do tell." Henderson smiled, leaning on the wall.

"Nothing much to tell. Got caught up in a bad situation, entirely Rick fault, and all I could do was sit there on the ground as we were being shot at, screaming for help and crying."

"Hard to picture."

"Yeah well, I ended up getting shot in the arm, and still, just sat there, sobbing and screaming. So Rick picked me up, slapped me and told me to get myself together, handed me a gun and the rest well...let's just say I can handle myself in any situation now."  
"We'll, if you aren't just about the perfect woman to take home with me." HE grinned, and i chuckled. "Say...how 'bout, when this is all over, if we make it outta here, tomorrow you and me we get on that there boat and make out way to America?" Pushing himself up off the wall Henderson quickly stepped over to me and knelt down. "What do you say?"

I blinked at him for a moment, unsure what to say before suddenly. "Sorry, I'm rather...taken at the moment." I smiled, suddenly picturing the man in black in my head.

"What a pity." He turned and didn't speak to me again. Something I was more then happy about as I sat there and thought of the one and only thing that was suddenly running through my mind...The man in black. Who's name I still didn't know. But I was pulled out of my thought when Henderson absently started aiming his gun at the ivory jar.

"Nice tricks." I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"Yeah well it's something you gotta learn if you wanna..."

He cut himself off as a howling sound erupted outside.

"What was that?" He asked, as we both jumped up and I pulled my gun out.

"It came from the...window." I whispered as he started to walk towards it, his gun poised and ready. But just as soon as he reached the window, he turned back around, looking confused and slightly...amused?

"Nothing?" I called.

"No. Noth..."

"Look out!" I cried, as sand suddenly appeared and the mummy appeared behind him. I cried out in sheer terror as i pointed my gun up and fired at him repeatedly as he stepped towards me, almost fully regenerated now.

"Oh...god." I mumbled, and the only thing that came to my mind as he came at me was to call for the one person who would help me.

"RICK!" I screamed out, before everything suddenly went black.

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"Uh...Rick?" I called, slowly opening my eyes, my head pounding like mad. "Rick?" I cried out again, as i tried to move, only to find that i was tied up.

"What the fuck?" I cried out angrily, fighting with the binds that held my hands together.

It was then that I saw that i was now in Evy's room. And we weren't alone. Leaning down onto her bed, was the mummy, and his lips were locked with hers.

"Evy!" I cried out as she opened her eyes, a look of utter disgust rushing over her face as she saw him.

"HEY!" I turned fast and looked to see Rick storm into the room, with Jonathan and Daniels, pulling the mummy away from Evy. "Get your ugly face off of her!" He screamed.

"Ellen!" Jonathan cried out, seeing me tied up right at the mummy's feet, which cause him to look down at me, and then back to Rick where he howled again.

"HEY!" Rick cried out. "Look what i got huh?" He added, before holding up the cat, which hissed at him angrily, as the mummy roared with fear.

"Oh god...RICK!" I screamed, looking up as the mummy roared and turned into sand, a large amount of it hitting me.

"Evy!" I heard him yell, and watched as he rushed past me and helped her up. "Are you okay?"

"She's fine!" I yelled, looking up at him angrily. He seemed unfazed. "Hello? Sand in my face, tied up!"

"Right...sorry." He smiled, and helped me up, untying my hands as well.

"Well, now what?" I demanded angrily.

"We go see your curator friend." Rick answered, looking to Evy.


	10. Chapter 10

We drove right to the museum and rushed inside and were greeted by the man in black and the curator.

"We need all the help we can get." Rick stated, looking to the man in black.

"Yes, well, according to legend, the Black Book that the Americans found at Hamunaptra is supposed to bring people back from the dead. Until now, it was a notion I was unwilling to believe." Evy said as we walked up the stairs.

"Believe it, sister. That's what brought our buddy back to life," Rick said, and i glanced at her, almost wanting to place blame on her. But blame would really have to wait.

"Yes. I'm thinking that if the Black Book can bring dead people to life- -"

"Then maybe the Gold Book can kill him," Rick finished.

"That's the myth," She replied. "Now we just have to find out where the Gold Book is hidden." She explained as we got to the second floor, just as the eerie calling reached our ears, causing us to turn around and looked to the nearest window.

"Imhotep. Imhotep. Imhotep. Imhotep. Imhotep. Imhotep."

"Last but not least." Jonathan sighed. "My favorite plague- -boils and sores." Jonathan and I exchanged a look.

"Great..." I mumbled.

"They have become his slaves. So it has begun: the beginning of the end." The man in black said.

"Not quite yet, it hasn't. Come on." Evy called, urging us along. But all i could do was stand there and look down at the poor people. And that was when i saw him, coming out of the group.

"Imhotep..." I mumbled, fear rising all over me.

"Ellen."

I turned fast and looked up to see the man in black had spoken my name, and was becoming me to come along. I hurried after him up the stairs as we joined the others, my heart racing a little more.

"According to Bembridge scholars, the golden book of Amun-Ra is located inside the Statue of Anubis." Evelyn said, reading off of a large stone tablet.

"That's where we found the black book." Daniels explained.

"Exactly."

"Well looks like the old boys at Bembridge were mistaken." Jonathan commented.

"Yes, they mixed up the books. Mixed up where they were buried. So if the black book is inside the Statue of Anubis, then the golden book must be..." Evy started, before she jumped as the sound of large amounts of people banging on the doors below could be heard.

"I really don't like this!" I called, as Rick, myself, the man and black and Daniels went to the railing and looked down.

"Come on Evy! Faster!" Jonathan called.

"Patience is a virtue!" She called out in a sing-song voice.

"We haven't got the time for patience!" I called out, reaching up and putting my hair into a tighter pony tail, before pulling my gun out.

"Uh, I think I'll go and get the car started," Jonathan said to us, then hurried off.

"I've got it! The golden Book of Amun-Ra is at Hamunaptra, inside the Statue of Horus. Take that, Bembridge scholars!" She said in triumph, turning and facing us, smiling.

"Great! Now lets go!" I called out as we all started after Jonathan, reaching him as he started up the car.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Daniels yelled. "Get this thing in gear, boy. Let's get outta here."

"Evy! Come on, Evy! Hurry up!" Jonathan yelled as we hurried over, jumping into the car, not bothering to take the time to open the doors.

"Hey! Hey!" I called out, reaching over and grabbing Rick. "Beni!" I pointed out.

"Imhotep! Imhotep!" He yelled, looking up at the large widow where we had been only moments ago.

"You're going to get yours, Beni! You hear me?" Rick yelled at him, standing up and turning around as we sped away. "YOU'RE GONNA GET YOURS!"

"Oh like I've never heard that before!" He called after us, while the men began their chase.

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Speed seemed to be our friend as we raced through the streets. But alas, all good things come to an end.

Quiet suddenly, Jonathan slammed on the breaks, as dead ahead of us lay a large group of men. Imhotep's slaves.

"Rick?" I called out from behind him, reaching forward and placing my hand on his shoulder.

"Hang on!" He cried out, before he stopped onto Jonathan's foot and the car rammed into the people, pushing them aside, slamming them aside, moving them out of the way. But in some cases, giving them the edge they needed to get up onto the car.

"Get off me!" I yelled, rising up and punching a man in the face, as everyone else started to do the same, the car speeding down the street wildly.

"O'Connell!" I heard a man cry, and i turned around to see Daniel's being pulled off of the car.

"Rick!" I yelled, trying to get his attention. But it was too late, and Daniel's roll off the car, before multiple gun shots went off as we spend away, before coming to crashing stop.

"Hurry!" Rick yelled, as we jumped out, the slaves running towards us.

"Move!" The man in black called as he reached into the car and took hold of my arm, pulling me out fast and pushing me forward, fallowing me fast, before we all stopped, surrounded by the chanting of the slaves.

"Oh god..." I called, backing into Rick, as the people parted.

"It's the creature," The Curator said, shocked, as it stepped forward with Beni behind him. "He's fully regenerated."

"Keetah mi pharos, aja nilo, isirian," Imhotep said in Ancient Egyptian, walking forward.

"Come with me, my princess. It is time to make you mine, forever." Beni translated.

"'For all eternity', idiot." Evelyn said angrily juts before Imhotep said something else in Egyptian.

"Take my hand, and I will spare your friends."

"Oh dear, have you got any bright ideas?" Evy asked me.

"I'm thinkin', I'm thinkin!" Rick replied frantically.

"You better think of something fast...because if he turns me into a mummy, you're the first one I'm coming after," Evy replied as she stepped forward and took Imhotep's hand.

"Wait what?" I said, pulling out my gun and aiming. "No!" I yelled.

"Don't!" She yelled back to me, just as a few of the slaves rushed forward and grabbed hold of me.

"Ellen!" Rick yelled out as he stepped forward, Jonathan stopping him.

"No!" The man in black added, grabbing for my arm, but failing as the slaves pulled me away from them.

"He still has to take me to Hamunaptra to perform the ritual," Evelyn said to Rick, looking from him to me nervously.

"She's right. Leave today, fight tomorrow." The man in black said to Rick, his eyes locked onto me.

Rick stood a moment before putting his gun away. "I'll be seeing you again," He said threateningly as Beni stepped forward and went to Jonathan, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the puzzle box.

"Hey, that's mine!" Jonathan said.

"Thank you," Beni said, taking it as Imhotep said something in Egyptian.

"Ellen!" Rick cried out, before suddenly I was flung very violently towards them all, landing in the arms of the man in black, who held me up and pulled back a little ways.

Suddenly, there was a commotion, and Evy was crying out.

"I get the feeling that he didn't stick to his end of the bargain." I called out, as the man in black pulled me closer to him as the slaves surrounded us, as Evy was pulled away.

"Good-bye, my friend," Beni said to Rick, smirking

"Come here, you little- -"Rick began, but he ran off.

"No time!" I yelled at Rick, looking down at the lid to a sewer tunnel. "Rick!" I yelled and right away he knelt down and lifted it up

"Come on!" He called to Jonathan.

"What about my sister?" He asked Rick.

"We're gonna get her back! Go!" Rick replied. "You're next!" He grabbed the man in black and pulled him in.

"Go!" He yelled, practically pushing me in frantically. I stumbled the moment I landed on my feet, and pressed myself up against a wall, pain racing through my arms from where I had been grabbed.

And then quite suddenly, Rick was there as well, looking around. "Ellen?" He called.

"Here." I breathed, trying to catch my breath.

"Are you alright?" He cried out, rushing towards me.

"Yeah I'm..." The moment he grabbed my arms I flinched away from him. "Fine."

"God this is all my fault." Rick said suddenly, watching me. "I shouldn't have brought you along."

"Yeah well that might be true but I'm here now and there's no way your gunna get ride of me because I'm...!"

I was suddenly swept up into Rick's arms, a tight hug enfolding me. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

"It's fine Richard." I whispered, using his full name. "Honestly." I smiled, hugging him back for a moment. "Now come on, no time to waste. We've gotta help Evy!"

"And we've gotta get outta here!" Jonathan called out, pointing behind us as massive amounts of the slaves started to come towards us entering the same way we had.

"I say we kill them," Rick replied, just as they charged at us. Instantly, we both started to shoot, Jonathan joining in as he grabbed on of Rick's gun's as well.

"Move!" I cried out, turning fast as they folded in on us. But I wasn't fast enough as i felt myself being ripped back by my hair. "Ah...RICK!" I screamed out.

It was at that moment that i saw the man in black appear, a large sword high above his head, before it plunged down and i was released. Only the feeling of being released felt some what awkward.

Quickly i reached up and tried to touch my long hair, only to find that he hadn't cut the man's arm off, but had instead but my hair.

"You cut my hair!" I screamed, turning and facing him as he continued to fight with the slaves.

"Forgive me!" He yelled out, slicing them and gaining no ground.

"I will not!" I screamed, before pulling my gun up and shooting as many as i possibly could, before realizing that they were all down and out.

"Ellen! COME ON!" Rick cried out, and I turned fast to fallow, them an in black behind me.

"I am truly sorry!" He called to me. "Ellen, really i am..."

"Oh shut up!" I yelled, turning and facing him angrily. "I don't know who the hell you are but you can't go around chopping..."

"Ardeth Bay."

I blinked. "What?"

"My name is, Ardeth Bay. Leader of the Medjai."

"Right well..." I paused and looked up at him, seeing him smiling slightly. "Nice to meet you." I snapped, before turning away.

"Come on, let's get moving," Rick said, standing up and looking at me. "Ellen what happened to your hair?"

"Don't ask!" I yelled, marching past him and standing near Jonathan, who commented that it looked good.

"Where are we going now?" I asked angrily, turning to my brother.

"To Hamunaptra, of course," .

"And just how the hell do you suggest we get there?" I snapped.

Rick chuckled. "I think we should pay Winston a visit."

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"Morning, Winston. Uh, a word?" Rick called coming towards the aging man as he sat in the desert.

"What's your little problem got to do with His Majesty's Royal Air Corps?" Winston asked us, looking up at stopping at my smiling.

"Not a damn thing," Rick replied.

"Is it dangerous?" He asked, getting excited.

"Well, you probably won't live through it," Rick answered, and i sighed. Rick simply patted my back.

"By Jove, do you really think so?"

"Probably not." I muttered.

"You truly think so?" He asked again.

"Well, everybody else we've bumped into has died. Why not you?" Jonathan commented.

"What's the- -uh, what's the challenge then?" Winston stood up.

"Rescue the damsel in distress, kill the bad guy and save the world," Rick said smiling.

"But what of this damsel you have here with you?" He asked, looking to me.

"We've already met." I smiled at him, somewhat enjoying him now that he was sober.

"Have we now?" He smiled, stepping forward and reaching for my hand, before pulling it up and kissing it. "And who might you be?"

Quite suddenly Rick was in front of me, blocking Winston from my view. "That's my sister." He said softly.

"Oh! Well...I say then! Haha! Winston Havelock at your service, haha!" He saluted us with a smile, before rising up and leading us to a very small plane. "There's only one seat available, and the other three will have to hold onto the wings, I'm afraid," He said, turning round and looked at me with a smile. "How about Miss O'Connell sit in the back with me?"

"Um...Rick?" I whispered, looking up at him.

"I think I'll sit in back Winston, if you don't mind."

"Suit yourself." He smiled, as we all got settled into the plane, Jonathan on the left wing, with me and Ardeth on the right.

"Hold on tight." I told him, feeling very shaky about the whole situation.

"Very well." He said, and suddenly, i felt his arm around me as Rick appeared with a rope intended to strap us to the plane.

"Well...what have we got here?" HE asked, his eyes locked on me.

"Nothing." I whispered, looking over at Ardeth, who slowly pulled his arm away from me.

And soon enough we were strapped in, and we were up in the air. And i was horrified and wish for nothing more then for his arm to be back around me.

"How you doing?" I heard Rick call to us suddenly. "Ellen?"

"Shut up!" i cried out, tears filling my eyes.

"Oh! I say!" Winston suddenly said. And that was when, I nearly lost it.

Dead ahead of us, was the biggest sand storm i have ever seen. "Oh my god..." I cried out, before burying my face against the metal of the plane.

"Peddle faster Winston!" I heard Rick cry out.

"Hang on men!" Winston called, before we suddenly veered down over a cliff.

"OH GOD!" I yelled, before screaming out in horror as Ardeth laughed beside me.

As we gained stability, I looked up one last time, to see a face inside the sand before I screamed in sheer terror, and snapped my eyes shut, just as gun shots rang out all around me from the machine gun atop the plane.

"Here I come laddy's!" I heard Winston say as we started spinning around. while i screamed more and more and more with my eyes still snapped shut.

There was spinning, sand, and finally a large boom and a crashing stop.

And then it was still. Totally still.

Opening my eyes the first thing i saw was Ardeth gathering himself up into a standing position and pulling off his hat, letting his hair fall down.

"Everyone okay?" I heard Rick called.

"Um...a little help here please?" I asked, still shaky.

Suddenly, Ardeth was at my side, cutting me free and helping me up. But my feet weren't all to ready for the ground and stumbled into him, shaking. "Sorry..." I mumbled, pulling away.

"It's okay." He smiled, before he turned and went to grab the machine gun that was on the plane.

"Excuse me." Jonathan called suddenly. "Um, a little help would be useful, if it's not TOO MUCH TROUBLE!" He cried out.

"Yeah, yeah, all right," Rick said from somewhere, and i fallowed his voice, stumbling along till i reached them, before I practically fell into Jonathan's arms.

"Fun ride?" He asked, pulling me up.

"I...don't feel so good..." I mumbled, and Jonathan patted my back.

"Winston! Hey, Winston!" Rick called out and i turned to see him calling to the aging man. "Winston?" He called again, reaching over and placing two fingers onto his neck. "Dammit..." Rick mumbled, stepping away just as the plan started to shift.

"Quicksand! Get back, it's quicksand!" Ardeth called as Jonathan quickly rushed away, pulling me along before stopping and watching as Winston slowly sunk into the sand, before Rick saluted him.

Now, there was only one more thing to be done.

Return to Hamunaptra.


	11. Chapter 11

Last chapter of the re-written version ! Hope you liked it. I find it better then the original. And just wait for the second version of The Mummy Returns. I chaged pretty much everything! Thanks to a few awesome idea's froma reviewer (i think you know who you are *wink wink*)  
Anywho, thanks for readin'!  
please review ! :)  
magiie

* * *

"I'd take those bigger stones first. And take them from the top, otherwise the whole thing will cave in on us. Come on, put your backs into it," Jonathan called, watching as we all pulled at the large rocks, not at all bothering to help us.

"Jonathan." I snapped, turning and pushing my now short hair out of my face. "Either help, or shut up!" Rick and Ardeth turned and gave him a look that screamed how much they agreed with me.

"Yes, well, you've get the idea. Chop-chop." Jonathan smiled, before taking off somewhere, leaving us to work.

"I swear, if he wasn't funny, I'd shoot him." I muttered as we all got back to work.

"I say! Gents, you should come and have a look at this." Jonathan called suddenly, and I simply shook my head as we all ignored him. That was until he cried out.

"What?" Rick asked, turning around as we rushed to his aid.

"My arm! My arm!" Jonathan yelled.

"Get his sleeve!" I cried out, just as Rick took hold of the fabric and ripped it to reveal a rather large lump moving upwards under his skin.

"Whoa!" Rick said.

"What is that?" I gasped.

"Do something!" Jonathan yelled with terror.

"Hold him!" Rick exclaimed, as Ardeth took hold of Jonathan's back, while I held onto his other arm.

"Do something! Do something!" Jonathan said, just as Rick pulled out his knife, flipping it open. "Not that, not that!"

"Stop moving!" I cried out, just as Rick pushed the blade into Jonathan's skin, releasing what turned out to be a scarab, sending it flying towards me. Quickly I cried out, jumping back and clinging to Ardeth, who wrapped his arm around me as Rick pulled his gun out and shot the scarab.

"Jonathan..." Rick called, turning and looking at the man. "Don't touch anything."

"Right...right no problem." Jonathan mumbled, placing his hand over the wound.

"S...sorry about that." I whispered, slowly pulling away from Ardeth.

"It was...no trouble at all." He said calmly, watching me intensely.

"I should...look at that. Jonathan!" I cried out, turning fast and rushing over to him, grabbing him fast and tending to his wounds as Ardeth and Rick continued with the dig.

"Hey! We're through!" Rick called after a while, and we all stepped into the next room.

"I can't see a damn thing!" I moaned, stumbling around, hitting someone. "Sorry." I whispered.

"It's okay." Ardeth answered, and I felt my cheek go red in the dark. Quit suddenly a shot went off and I scream, jumping right back into Ardeth's arms.

"This is a frequent thing you do, isn't it?" He asked, as light suddenly shone into the room.

"Apparently." I whispered back, before i started to look around, not even getting an inch of distance between us. "Oh...my...god." I gasped, looking at the all the wonderment and gold that surrounded us.

"Wha-wha-" Jonathan said, too shocked to speak as we started down the stairs, everyone on alert.

"My god..." I called softly, reaching over and touching Rick's arm.

"Can you see?" Jonathan said.

"Yeah," Rick and I both answered.

"Can you believe- -"

"Yeah."

"Can we just- -"

"No." We all said sternly. Jonathan moaned in displeasure.

"There are more important things to look...after right now..." I gasped, watching as suddenly the ground started to shake, before mummies started to immerge. "Oh jee, would you look at that." I groaned, pulling out my gun.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Rick asked.

"Priests. Imhoteps' priests." Ardeth answered.

"All right, then." Rick called, before we started shooting, Jonathan pulling out two of Rick's handguns to join in along with us as we moved into next room.

"There he is! Hello, Horus, old boy!" Jonathan said, looking up at the large statue before us. Suddenly, Rick handed Ardeth his rifle and pulled out a stick of dynamite out of his pack, before striking a match, on Ardeth's face and lighting it.

"That was rude." I growled, looking to Ardeth who looked just as displeased.

Rick simply shrugged, and looked to the entrance we had come from. "Time to close the door." Rick said, before throwing the explosive at the mummies. Quickly i was swept up into Ardeth's arms as he pulled me aside, just as the explosive went off, with my clinging to him for dear life as he shielded me from the blow.

"Thanks." I mumbled, looking up at him as he shifted away. He simply nodded as more groaning sounds arose from the location of the blast.

"Damn, these guys just don't quit, do they?" Rick asked through gritted teeth.

"Keep digging!" Ardeth said to them, as he and i both started shooting yet again.

"The Book of Amun-Ra," Jonathan breathed out suddenly, and we both turned and watched as he pulled the golden book out.

"Well hurry up! Get on with it!" I cried out, turning back and starting to shoot once again.

"Ellen." Ardeth said suddenly, stopping my assault. "Save the girl. Kill the creature," HE said, looking from me to Rick, and then back to me. "Stay safe." He added, his eyes locking onto me for a moment, and then with a battle cry, charged into the hallway with the mummies

Shock rushed through me as he took off, endangering his life. "Ardeth!"

"What are you waiting for? Get out! Get out!" His voice grew fainter.

"No!" I yelled back angrily, before i charged in after him, my gun up and ready.

"ELLEN!" I heard Rick and Jonathan both scream out as I rounded a corner.

"Save Evy!" I yelled to them both, moving faster and faster to catch up to Ardeth.

"Ellen!" Rick's cry grew more and more distant as i gained on Ardeth.

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I found him almost instantly, tussling with more then his fair share of mummies.

"Hold still!" I cried out, shocking him as he turned and looked at me, stopping instantly just as i pulled my handgun up and started firing at the mummies, hitting each of them and sending them down into the sand, crumbling into a million pieces.

"Look out!" Ardeth cried out, as i spun around, a larger and rather disgusting dummy falling onto me, it's hands at my neck, finger nails scratching my skin.

"ARH!" I screamed, trying to push it off without success.

"Ellen!" Ardeth cried out, just as the mummy was lifted from my and slammed into the ground, where he shot it. "Are you alright?" He asked, turning fast and helping me up, more and more mummies surrounding us.

"Not really." I mumbled, seeing that our out come in this fight might very well end with us dead. "I don't see us getting out of this." I said, out back against each other, as a circle of mummies got closer and closer.

"It is an honor to die protecting the world." He called out, his breathing heavy. "And...along side you." HE added, looking over his shoulder and glancing at me.

I twisted myself around slightly to look at him, taking deep breaths as my mind raced. "God dammit, if we're gunna die, to hell with it." I cried out, turning right around and wrapping my free hand around his neck, pulling him around and down to me, before pressing my lips to his in a fiery kiss that sent my skin a blaze as his free arm went around and wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer, the whole world practically dissolving around us.

I pulled away from him much to soon, and raising my gun up, smiling at him. "To the death." I whispered, looking deeply into his eyes.

"To the death." He repeated, before we both spun around and started our war against the undead.

It waged on for what seemed an eternity. The living against the dead. And sadly, i noticed as my ammunition started running low, we were losing.

But then, just as i feared all hope was lost, and i was back to back with Ardeth, the hoard of mummies coming closer and closer, a rush of warm wind hit us and everything went still, before the mummies crumbled to the floor, in pieces and dust.

"Wha...what the hell happened?" I asked, looking around, my heart racing and my breathing coming in short.

"The creature." Ardeth quickly spun around and looked down at me, grabbing my arms. "Your brother! He must have defeated him!"  
I looked around once again, still awe struck. "You mean...i mean...we won?" I mumbled, before my eyes went back to his, seeing him smiling.

"We're alive." He said softly, his smile turning downward into a simple curve of his lip. "We're alive." He repeated huskily, as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine tenderly at first, but then with more passion as I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer to him.

We broke apart, breathless and, on my part, hotter then i had been a moment ago, as the ground below us started to shake.

"I think..." I whispered, in halling deeply as I slowly let my arms slip down from around his neck to rest on his chest. "We should get out of here."

"Agreed." He nodded, before he took my hand and pulled me along, and out of the temple.

AS we rushed out, everything started to collapse around us.

"Go!" Ardeth called to me, pushing me along. "I'll get camels!" He explained, before racing away. "Go!" He called again, as i started running to the desert before me, looking for any sign of my brother, Jonathan and Evy.

Just then, to my right, i saw them come speeding out, all three of them, and my heart did a leap.

"Rick!" I screamed out, as i too started running in the same direction, catching his eye as we went, and the shock and happiness i saw cross his face that he saw i was alive.

Just as we reached the city limits, everything crumbled to the ground, a cloud of sand rising up and covering us as we reached each other.

"Ellen!" I heard Jonathan cry out, before i was suddenly swept up into a hug. "Good to see you!" He smiled, as i hugged him back.

"You too." I smiled, as he released me and i turned to Rick. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded, catching his breath. "You?"

"Yeah." I nodded, before jumping into his arms and hugging him tightly. "The things you drag me into." I whispered, tears coming to my eyes.

A suddenly scream erupted from Jonathan, breaking us apart as i turned and looked up to see Ardeth atop a camel, smiling down at us.

"Oh! Thank you, thank you very much," Jonathan said to Ardeth, with a hand over his heart.

"You've earned the respect and the gratitude of me and my people," Ardeth said to us, his eyes stopping on me for a moment, as he bowed his head slightly.

"Yes, well, it was nothing," Jonathan replied with a chuckle, waving him off.

"May Allah smile upon you always," Ardeth continued, bidding us farewell.

"Wait...wait your..." I rushed up to the camel, stopping him. "You're leaving?" I whispered softly.

"My life, is not you're life." He explained, looking down at me sadly. "May you bring bright light into the world Ellen." He called, reaching down and taking my hand in his. "As you have in mine." In finished, before kissing my fingers, and letting my hand drop.

"And yourself," Jonathan replied, looking a little confused.

Ardeth gave me one last longing look before he clicked his tongue, and the camel turned around leaving me there watching as he road off into the distance, before he was nothing but a blur in the sand.

"Yes, anytime," Jonathan said.

"Stay out of trouble," Rick called, before he glanced at me and i simply shook my head.

"He's just...leaving us here." Jonathan said, before he turned and looked to me. "He's just leaving you here!"

I nodded, feeling a slight twinge of pain in my chest, before smiling. "I'm sure this wont be the last time we see him."

"You would hope so." He called, giving me a good reason to smack him on the arm. "Well, I guess we go home empty-handed...again."

"I wouldn't say that," Rick said, looking down at Evy, smiling.

"Oh, please!" Jonathan moaned, as Rick leaned down and kissed Evy.

"How 'bout you, darling? Would you like a little kissy-wssy?" Jonathan asked one of the camels, who lowered its head breathed at Jonathan. "Whew!" He complained.

"You might never get anything better." I laughed, as I got up onto the camel Jonathan was holding onto. "Might wanna get used to it." I finished, as he jumped up behind me on the camel, taking the reins.

I simply chuckled, smiling at his expression, before turning and looking to Evy and Rick on their camel, as we heading into the sunset, out adventure over.


End file.
